34 Counts
Guilty guilty guilty guilty
Each word blasts through the thick air
Like the ring of a church bell
Each a pebble dropping in a still pond
Rings left in the wake
Guilty guilty guilty guilty
Eyes from around the world
Are centered on this moment
Television sets buzzing
Volume dials inching louder
Guilty guilty guilty guilty
Women nationwide are still sore
From being sold the fable
That sexual harassment
Is an endearing sign of leadership
Guilty guilty guilty guilty
Finally they draw a sigh of relief
That justice doesn’t always
Evade a man
Even if they’re crafted of old money
Guilty guilty guilty guilty
The cacophony of outrage begins
“Jesus was found guilty too”
Haunting words of warning
“The real trial is November 5th”
Guilty guilty guilty guilty
A felony may bar you from voting
But we quickly learn
It has no bearing on your ability to man
The helm of the largest warship in the world
Guilty guilty guilty guilty
How quickly the flame of hope dies
When smothered by the fear
Of looming tyranny
How quickly the smoke of panic rises in its stead
Guilty guilty guilty guilty
Suddenly the words blanch and lose their meaning
They have no power here, it fades like a mirage
This is dejavú, history repeating
The reminder that heroes merely exist in fairy tales
Guilty
We return to this dystopian nightmare
Guilty
5 thoughts on "34 Counts"
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Ugh. I feel this.
Well done ! You identified feelings of a lot of us!
Ooof.
I like the use of Guilty 36 times and the uselessness of it after all.
Wow! A powerful reaction! — I felt each beat of your stanzas intensely. The fifth stanza is especially haunting. Great title and repetition of 34 counts of guilty.