Personal Narrative: The Birdman Of Alcatraz

As the vivid spring sun sets across the open Kansas sky, the last rays of pink and gold light danced across the omnibus hundred-year-old, forty foot brick wall of Leavenworth Penitentiary—a facility that in its heyday housed Machine Gun Kelly, The Birdman of Alcatraz, and various members of the Lucchese Crime Family, C walked his last laps around the track.
The “big house” which rested within that immense brick barrier to freedom—still topped with iron spikes as it was built long before razor wire or metal fencing, looked more like something from a history book or a tour of Washington, DC. While its white marble front facade, concrete antebellum columns, a Romanesque elevation of steps, and the silver cap topping the rotunda cloaks the dreariness
Contrary to popular beliefs, a loss of one’s physical freedom is not a total loss of freedom. The freedom to live without the worry of a next meal, bills due, or the stresses of decades of corporate life, turmoil in excess of sixty hours a week in a cut-throat political environment can be extremely soothing. Sure at first, heaviness befell his heart and soul; nevertheless once C was able to let go of things out of his control and just enjoy life, it truly become a vacation for him. After nearly two years, he would be returning home tomorrow morning. Everything was planned and he calmly enjoyed his brisk walk, meditating and reflecting. As he rounded one of the outside corners, he heard footsteps pounding behind him and his name being called. It was David, one of his close friends. David had been a professor of journalism at a major southern university before becoming addicted to drugs. Being creative, he decided to cut out the middle man and just fabricate his own. That’s when the feds got involved, and here is resides. Still gasping for breath as David was carrying a few extra pounds and, other than the occasional pick-up game of sand volleyball, he was not very athletically outgoing, he caught up with C and began to press him to finally tell him his story. Now if you didn’t know, the generally accepted standard of prison life is not to ask or discuss your crimes. Nonetheless, this was
Ironically, Loyola doesn’t have a football team. Under this semblance, Loyola Law School graduation is celebrated.
New Orleans began, as most first time visitors here do, with the Vieux Carré— a square hugging an elbow curve in the Mississippi River. The architecture is European and Creole, the colors are Caribbean and the festive lifestyle is a New Orleans trademark. For three hundred years, the French Quarter has been the heart of the city, centered around Jackson Square. It is home to the French Market, Riverwalk, the Aquarium of the Americas, Spanish Plaza, museums, restaurants, and enough activity for a lifetime of sightseeing.
While the French Quarter, or Vieux Carré, is the most famous, there are many other fascinating neighborhoods to explore including Audubon Park just adjacent to