This is Champagne Song from Solitary Confinement. Please visit prairielanddefendants.com. This is part three of “The Runners”.
I stare down at them, grinning. And then hungry, I rush forward to stuff them into my backpack.
Author’s note: “The Runners” could take place anywhere. It could be in Texas or Greece or Palestine or Iraq. It could be a city after years of climate change. It could be 50 years ago. It could be that denaturalized citizens, immigrants, and the children of immigrants are living on one side of the fence. It could be that the protagonist is a child or an adult. It could be that they knew the runners would be there, or that they happen to be around. It could be that the faces that they recognize are from another protest, or are famous, or that they grew up together back before the walls. It could be that the runners are always runners, known by that name, or it could be that becoming the runners is a creative, one-off idea. It could be that they broke off from an official race, or it could be just a disguise. I think it captures the creativity, bravery, talent, commitment, joy, adaptability, resilience, whimsicality, and solidarity that I have witnessed as a part of many different protest movements. And this is a dream that I had. I wanted to fully capture everything that I got to experience in that moment. I’m lucky to have, in some sense, been there. It really was so glorious. This is Champagne Song, sentenced to 100 years for anti-fascism.
These commentaries are recorded by Prison Radio.
