Maybe They Had a Reason

01/09/2020 -  Poem a Day Compilation



Maybe they had a reason

Maybe they had a rhyme

Maybe they just didn’t think

And now they’re doing time



Their bad boy look was fake

Their gangster vibe a fraud

Their criminal credentials long expired –

It was more than they could afford



They’ve got no one else to blame

They’ve got to take it on the chin

They’ve got 25 to life to ponder

Why they threw their future in the bin



There’s a monotony in their future

There’s a shadow over their past

There’s an emptiness in their here and now –

Who knows how long it will last?



They could’ve been so much more

They could’ve used the brains in their head

They could’ve made something of themselves

But they may as well be dead



The gates that keep them locked inside

The walls that imprison them here

The guards that keep the peace each shift –

All feed a hate and terrible fear.



They wanted to be the big man

They wanted to be top dog

They wanted to be something they weren’t

Now they’re a name on a log



Someone tells them when to eat each day

Someone tells them what to do

Someone tells them who they’re bunking with

But they don’t dare say boo



They’re the small fish in a big pond

They’re just trying to stay alive

They’re in over their heads

And trouble could add five



Their lawyer did the best he could

Their record was less than sublime

Their life of freedom was at an end

The punishment fitted their crime



No one could dispute the facts

No one would disagree with the truth

No one fought the justice system

Because they screwed up their youth



Once they’re on the inside

Once reality settles in

Once the cold light of day shines down

They see the consequences of their sin



Maybe they had a reason

Maybe they had a rhyme

Maybe that doesn’t matter now

Because now they’re doing time

The Criminal Mind

10/08/2020 –  Poem a Day Compilation



When I looked in the mirror

I didn’t see a criminal.

I saw only my own features

Staring back at me.



I saw no evil lurking behind those eyes

There was no maliciousness

Or intent towards harm.

They were just my eyes.



As a child I had thrilled at the thought

Of living close to the edge.

Spear fishing and free climbing

Were amongst my favourite things.



I had no time for people my age,

They were immature and,

If I was perfectly honest,

Beneath me and my endeavours.



In sports, I excelled and took great pride

In the defeat of others,

Their disappointment, even their tears,

As I reigned victorious fed me.



Possession meant nothing to me

And even less the possession of others,

What was yours was mine

And save your whiney complaints.



It wasn’t my fault that you failed

At keeping what you obviously valued

But it was clearly better that I had it

When you couldn’t take care of it.



As I grew and was allowed more freedom

From my overly affectionate parents

Who clung to me like limpets

Craving my attention, always.



The rush as the train swept by the station,

My toes and face mere inches away,

Made my heart race like nothing else

And I longed to relive that sensation.



Learning to drive, I had no time for others,

Their need to merge or desire to overtake.

They were at my mercy and I had none.

They were weak and I was not.



When I went to university,

Women threw themselves at me.

I had them all and then some,

They didn’t need to say a word.



They gave me what I wanted

And even when they didn’t

I took that to which I was entitled

They thanked me for that gift.



But I had no time for them

Or their interminable needs,

I had a world to conquer

And they simply slowed me down.



I heard what people said of me,

They couldn’t help themselves.

Of course, they had to make up stories

To make themselves feel better.



They all knew that I was smarter,

That they’d be begging for my time

When I flying high above them –

They’d pay to scrape dirt from my shoe.



The police that first spoke to me

Knew what I was saying was true

But the system was stacked against me

Because it was afraid of my potential.



Those women used their bodies against me,

Claiming they didn’t give their consent.

I simply took what was on offer,

I’m not responsible for their buyer’s remorse.



I watched them each day from the dock,

Wanting to shut their filthy mouths,

And I imagined how I would show them

Who was really in charge.



The jury took less than an hour

And I knew as soon as I saw,

The bitches had gotten their way

By spinning their tale of woe. 

I had jumped the rail before they realised

And had my hand around the foreman’s neck

Whispering all the things I was going to do

That I knew his wife wouldn’t be able to resist.



I was in every headline.

I was the star of the show.

I was the master of my own destiny

And I controlled every word they said.



They were minions before me, every one,

As they lined up to peek in my brain.

Their pathetic need to be near me

And to have their name associated with mine.



I am the top dog of this facility

Where they keep me under lock and key,

Afraid of my brilliance and courage,

They could never be anything like me.



They will eventually see the error of their ways

And I will once more take my place

Ready to grace every history book

That dares to live up to my expectations.



But for now, I bide my time

And imagine how those that have wronged me

Will be made to pay for their betrayal

And suffer the consequences of their actions.



They will regret ever meeting me,

For they will have brought it all on themselves,

By daring to think they are better

After being seduced by my charm.



I was the greatest they ever had,

And I will be one last time,

For they will never have another

After I get my hands on them.