Poems on the Criminal (In)Justice System
Written by Kim Righter
8-24-06
Public Defender
Spinning words, fighting fate
But my entry is late
to stop the Humpty Dumpty effect
of plummeting without a social safety net.
I meet with a boy
Purple and blue cheek
Jack-o-lantern grin
Tells me about
Par four
Dodging his dad’s golf swing –
the cool breeze passin'
by his brown ear
Silver and skin
Yeah, he confessed
He wrote the false checks,
But doesn’t want to go to jail.
And forget his existence?
He needs assistance.
What’s with the resistance
To mercy?
Criminal justice, criminal system
Living poor,
Then living in cages?
8-18-06
A pen
Held by classism
Moved by indifference
And used by an egoist.
The president approves
And with a stroke
Clouds the environment in smoke.
Commits people to choke
As they need to be fed
More than lines of propaganda.