Friday, December 10, 2021

Offenders - poem

 

Lawrence Hall

Mhall46184@aol.com 

https://hellopoetry.com/lawrence-hall/

poeticdrivel.blogspot.com

 

Offenders

 

to St. Jude – a petition for prisoners

 

In the system they’re called offenders

No one knows why; the offenses are over

Concrete dorms, three-high bunks, white uniforms

And overhead the sting of fluorescents

 

I’m not going all Pollyanna here

All of them know the poisonous passions of meth

The stench of blood, the sting of fluorescents

In fearing eyes in a gas station at night

 

The stench of cells, the sting of fluorescents

In glaring eyes in the booking area at night

Humiliations, transports, stripped and searched

Form a straight line with hands behind your backs

 

But still, a man’s a man

 

The difference between a man inside the wire

And a man outside the wire

Is often only that one man is inside the wire

And the other man is outside the wire

 

“For all have sinned…”

 

Christmas is coming

 

Will there be a letter from home?

 

St. Jude, help all of us to be better men

 

In spite of ourselves

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