POETS CORNER

CRIMINAL

13-11-2006

The Stirrer knows a thing or two about criminal sentences having composed one or two in his time, but it's the language of the law that has our resident poet Brendan Hawthornereaching for the vitriol.

Criminal

This poem contains sentences

Some brief

Some…….. longer

Sometimes a sentence will contain

short

sharp

lessons

At other times deliberated reasoning

regarding far more serious issues

Even so

they are true in sense and intent

So why is it

that reported court sentences

remain so incomplete?

Ambiguous by nature

and as devoid of literal meaning

as a text message

This is the point when only

half of the

con-

victed

sent-

ence

is required for parole application

The time when life is seen as

a mere five years

What message does this send out

to would be criminals?

Old hands?

And police officers who are

shrouded in red tape and costings?

Then there are the forgotten ones

The victims

The families and friends of victims

who seek integrity

waiting patiently

for justice to be done

only to have it compromised

by leniency and accountability

in the words and deeds of

of trusted strangers

It's the victims

who remain locked up

in their sentence

and the ones who are left to ask

why?

For the rest of their lives

Brendan hosts regular meetings for aspiring versifiers at Wednesbury Library

(check out www.poetrywednesbury.co.uk/)

© Brendan Hawthorne 2006