Saturday, October 15, 2011

Sallying Past the Sallyport

Traffic was re-routed recently during a local fire department exercise.  The detour took me past a sign that read "Prisoner Sallyport - Not A Public Entrance."  Having never heard the term 'sallyport,' at first blush, it sounded like a rather happy place -- sort of like, "Let's go sit on a bench on the sallyport, sip some lemonade, gaze at the bluebirds and smell the roses."  Add the word 'prisoner,' however, and I knew it wasn't a verdant, relaxing place for hanging out or even the destination for a little jaunt.  So, I headed home to look up the term in my trusty dictionary and learned that it's a gate or passage in a fortified place, usually for troops on a sortie.  Therefore, the one I drove past is likely where prisoners are first detained, a safe and secure place until they can be moved elsewhere.  I may be somewhat curious but I'll likely not be too concerned if I never know the intimate details of what a prisoner sallyport is or know anyone who ends up there.  I'm content to simply drive by it and just keep on driving, no looking back.

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