Support Marie Mason

Desert Lizard Painting by Marie Mason

supportmarie — Mon, 07 May 2012 02:38:22 +0000

“A friend of mine sent me a really lovely photo of this desert lizard as she let me know that she was heading out for her Pacific Trail hike. I hope she has an easier time than the author Cheryl Strayed did doing the same hike. It seems like a grueling but amazing adventure. I will just be grateful to be able to walk in a straight line for a few blocks, feel grass (and not cement) under my feet, see the moon without a fence in between… and I am patient and content to wait for that day.”

-Marie Mason

“Titanic” by Marie Mason

supportmarie — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 01:45:30 +0000

Titanic

A hundred years of stories and it’s not enough
To mark a date,
They will dredge the blue depths
And spare no expense.
(not for charity, make a note
not for Sudan’s needed grain,
not Haiti’s medicine)
But gain….
And details, dollars, samples for scholars,
The self-indulgence of a gilded clock
Stopped in time upon a marble mantel
Miles below the surface of the sea
This brittle allegory,
Sepulchre nestled soft in silt
That is the living ship
And feeds on corpses so long dead
The sea reclaims, reorganizes matter
And redecorates
With stalagtites formed by flesh.
Where the disposables still lie,
Buried with the sordid empty beer cans,
The refuse of a thousand useless cruises
And the castasides who slept in lower berths….
Titanic,
With what callous hubris,
Launched,
With what garrish decadence
Debauched,
Only to meet Nature sideways
And slide down.
Titanic,
Posted as a sign
For all of humankind
A hundred years.
And still
It is the poor who will
Perish down below in each disaster -
While those riding high above them,
Will carry only those that love them
As they fly away too soon
In exquisitely appointed
Spaceships
Headed for Newt’s
Cities on the Moon.

Marie Mason Painting- Sea Nettles Take Over

supportmarie — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:18:28 +0000

“I was reading some recent articles about the long term effects of overfishing (besides the obvious decimation of many breeds of fish) and many marine biologists are noting the expansion of jellyfish everywhere in the ocean. These sea nettles were even featured in an outdoor adventure magazine, as swimmers and surfers are noticing their increasing prevalence…changes everywhere.”

-Marie Mason

New Watercolor Painting by Marie Mason: Bristlecone Pine

supportmarie — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 20:52:12 +0000

A watercolor painting of a Bristlecone pine tree in Great Basin National Park painted by Marie.

Never Alone: Speaking Tour for Marie Mason and Eric McDavid Kicks Off in April

supportmarie — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 21:29:49 +0000

In the build up to the International Day of Solidarity for Long-term Anarchist Prisoners (June 11th), Sacramento Prisoner Support and the Marie Mason Support Crew will be traveling the country giving multimedia presentations on Eric and Marie’s cases as well as facilitating discussions about long-term prisoner support and building stronger cultures of resistance.

Check out the dates and details below!

Never Alone: April 2012

$5-15 donation, no one turned away for lack of funds, all donations go to legal support

*Multimedia presentations about Marie and Eric’s cases

*Discussion about long-term anarchist prisoner support

*Security/Culture v.2012 now with extra tech!

*Rockstar Guest Speakers!

*Rage and Love!

Mankato, MN A1
Minneapolis, MN A2
Milwaukee, WI A3
Chicago, IL A4
Kalamazoo/Grand Rapids, MI A5
Lansing + Detroit, MI A6
Pittsburgh, PA A7
Buﬀalo, NY A8
New York, NY A9
Philadelphia, PA A10
Washington DC A11
Chapel Hill, NC A13
Asheville, NC A14
Cincinnati, OH A15
Bloomington, IN A16
St. Louis, MO A17
Carbondale, IL A18
Des Moines, IA A19
Denver, CO A20
Salt Lake City, UT A21
Seattle, WA A23
Olympia, WA A24
Portland, OR A25
Eugene, OR A26
Sacramento, CA A27
Santa Cruz, CA A28
Bay Area, CA A29

New Painting by Marie Mason

supportmarie — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 05:21:18 +0000

Here is a painting recently done by Marie. For more of her artwork and writings, be sure to check out her Writings, Pictures and Videos page.

Entropy- A poem by Marie Mason

supportmarie — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:20:21 +0000

(Entropy)
What do you see
In this Winter face?
The imminent decomposition of the unbeautiful?
Even so, even in that
I see that all my pieces
Have their own story.
My hands have worked a brand of
Entropy
That is much more sociology than
Physics.
My body has bourne children
Who fly away from me
In becoming of themselves.
This body burned and burning,
Flies apart in exothermic birthing,
Molds again in endothermic coupling,
Touches ground and stretches to the sky,
Dissipating heat.
My hands move across the page
With words this time,
The taste, the sound of them
Drips, mists, rains in torrents,
Common-tongued as a storm on a street corner;
Cursed and shared and necessary.
Fingers pushing colors from my eyes into images that speak,
Or pulling the taut metallic strings of a guitar,
And waves flowing between notes
Falling from my lips
Join with the air,
Steam rising, molecules
Dispersed to dance,
Becoming something new,
Somewhere else,
Again.

A New Year’s Update from Political Prisoner Marie Mason

supportmarie — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:15:42 +0000

Hello and Happy New Year!

It’s been a little more than a year and a half since I was transferred to the Admin Unit at Carswell. Many folks have written wondering if I was in the hospital here, and no, I am not. The Admin Unit is just part of a larger compound that has a major medical center for the Bureau of Prisons. This unit is completely separate from both the compound and the medical center. It’s actually more difficult to see most medical staff from here because of the security detail that must accompany any of us if we leave the unit for any reason.

It is a very small world here; only some 20 women are housed here in complete segregation from general population. It is a mixed unit and serves as both death row and as a kind of control unit. We are fortunately not locked down as often as the men’s units are, as policy in the BOP is different for male and female prisoners.

I have been able to maintain my vegan diet, mostly at my own expense until recently, and will continue to do that. It has been easier to get a more healthy and varied diet here than before. The Carswell kitchen has consistent vegan options for meals with a few exceptions, as beans and rice and vegetables are mostly available.

Carswell is far enough from everyone I know that it makes it hard for people to visit. It’s expensive to travel, it’s intimidating to come here I’m sure…But my family and my friend Julie have all made the trip to get here, things went well and it was good to see my loved ones. Mostly I have been struggling to keep up with folks through mail and email. I have had some trouble these past few years with lost letters and such, but have resolved to track and increase my communication this year. If you have written a letter, or signed one of the wonderful message cards (after an animal rights convention, at the Heartwood gathering, from a prisoner support letter writing night)- thank you so very much and please know how much I appreciated your kind words and encouragement! I’ve been so happy to hear about walks in the woods (how much I miss being in the forests!), amazing bike rides, photos of animal friends and beautiful natural places and descriptions of all the great campaigns to save forests and animals, to stop nuclear pollution and to halt the Keystone Pipeline project!!!! You all rock with a vengeance!

Tomorrow I will turn 50. It’s a mile marker and a time to reflect on my life. Like all humans, I’ve made mistakes and have some small regrets. But I am still an anarchist, a feminist, an internationalist, a Wobbly and community organizer, a passionate Earth First!er, and am still proud to have played my part in the Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation Front’s work to defend the wild and our non-human brothers and sisters.

My life has been spent in many movements, and all seem to be part of the process of necessary change. That experiment in social change is still ongoing and we must all keep trying, keep contributing what we can. My body is trapped here, but my heart is with you still fighting out there. Never give up, never give in, keep your minds open to inventing better compassionate ways to make
change happen. And write when you can. I’m a mom, I worry about all of you out there…..
As Woody Guthrie used to say, take it easy…but take it.

Marie Mason Is Turning 50, Cards and Letters Welcomed

supportmarie — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:36:07 +0000

On January 26th, long-time activist and political prisoner Marie Mason will be turning 50. Taking just a few minutes to send a card or write a letter to her is a small, but powerful act for those confined to a prison cell.

You can write to her at

Marie Mason #04672-061
FMC Carswell
Federal Medical Center
P.O. Box 27137
Fort Worth, TX 76127

For tips and guidelines on writing Marie, visit her about page here.

New Marie Mason artwork posted to the site

supportmarie — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 06:35:20 +0000

Here are some paintings recently shared by Marie with some of her supporters. You can see more of her work, including other paintings and poetry at Marie’s Writings, Pictures, Video page.