Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Trial with Hyenas

They swarm about the dock,
nipping at the grubby child who clings
to the prisoner's skirt. Among the debris
of the courtroom floor
two of them worry at the backbone
of a half-eaten convict.
The rest chant: "Guilty! Guilty!"

The verdict is a foregone conclusion,
the evidence mere embellishment.
The charges go unanswered temporarily
while the snarls of the jury
drown all speech.

--words courtesy of Big Tent
Collection available! Knocking from Inside

12 comments:

robkistner said...

rich wonderful piece Tiel...

...rob

Anonymous said...

Incredible story and images you created with the words. Rich with depth and meaning. Thank you,

Elizabeth

Anonymous said...

This is a wonderful poem. I like how you took 'dock' to mean in a court.

Excellent.

Anonymous said...

The images this brings to me are vivid and powerful. A well-crafted poem.

Anonymous said...

The images this brings to me are vivid and powerful. A well-crafted poem.

Anonymous said...

This is a great piece, Wonderfully vivid. Love and Light, Sender

James Brush said...

I like how you capture that mob mentality and the fear at the center of it.

Anonymous said...

you paint the scene very well!

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

vivid and beautiful words,
guilty, that's magical thinking!

my entry is here

Anonymous said...

the dark side of justice... beautiful tiel... dorothy calling

Unknown said...

Very intense. Well done.

christopher said...

This poem feels like a slice of life from a difficult country and it feels too like something a little personal. In any case it is remarkable and no doubt true many times on our interesting planet.