The Trial
I stand before you trembling now
In this circus of a trial
I’m not the one who makes a final
Judgment at this hour
I am a witness this is true
But I have very many roles
I’m prosecutor, jury and judge
In the trial of your life
The crime is clear to others here
Though it seems I must review
The facts confused in my own mind
For I’m involved here too
Can’t recuse myself
As judges might
There is no out for me
For one of us is guilty here
In the trial of your life
She sought your love
You gave it not
Except as tied with strings
To get the love and nurturing
She had to drink what’s vile
Drink she did because she thought
This is the only way
She didn’t know that what you gave
Was not what it should be
She took the gift and drank it down
Though it burnt her to the core
The taste was strange, refreshing not
But still she asked for more
She didn’t know, she couldn’t know
She drank a poison in
It was an imitation of
Others that she’d seen
That’s all you offered
There was no more
And so she drank it in
A poison that would act within
For and years to come
It was a cruel and callous act
For it seems that you did know
That what you gave
Would act upon
And cause writhing deep within
It hurt the girl but didn’t kill
Though it might as well have been
For the damage is far worse
Than any that I’ve seen
It stole a life, a precious life
And for that there is a price
This court is hard and watches out
Especially for those
Who are so small and fragile now
That they cannot speak a word
They cannot defend
Cannot make sense
Of what they’ve been accused
They accept a guilty charge
And never think to plead
Marching forth to pay their due
Because they have been told
By one in charge
That this is all their fault
You did accuse her of a crime
You said that she was bad
Sentence pronounced
She paid a price
One that’s much too high
She sought to make amends at times
But you told her many times
That she did bear the fault
She believed and carried on
And strove to make it work
You placed a giant burden on
That tiny little girl
One she carried for many years
And still she thinks she does
Until some others came along
To try and set her free
Judgment is final
There’s no appeal
The facts are very clear
This court has found you guilty sir
And does looks down on you
The courts disgusted
At what you’ve done
You’ve broken every rule
And violated that sacred trust
Given just to you
No excuse offered here
Will ever be enough
To replace a life
Taken this way
You can never make amends
Look over there and see that girl
See how she hangs her head
That is the shame
That you should bear
That’s what it should look like
The girl is free, free to go
To go rebuild her life
She innocent in this tragedy
She bears no responsibility
She should be free from the shame
That’s hounded her all her life
It’s not the justice it should be
This should never have taken place
This court is saddened
Because it knows
There still will be a cost
As she works
To rebuild her life
Injustice has taken its toll
She has faced some painful things
She never should have known
Do not confuse these painful things
With responsibility
The girl is free, free to go
Indeed she’s been set free
3-21-01
(jml)
Return to - Poetry Page
Return to - Jeannine's Home Page