For those who possess
The deafening screech of Alpheus bellulus,
Let them scream as they please.
The Bench has judicially caged the Bar,
But it is obviously a pat on the back.
A subtle slap on the wrist
For an actus of justice perversion,
Meted on the learned golden boy—
The silky boy.
A sledge hammer on the head
For the actus of N5 onion theft,
Meted on the street youth—
The lazy youth.
A pat on the back of the initiate
A gavel on the head of the commoner
A month for a ludicrous felony
A millennium for an atomic misdemeanor
Concurrent sentence for the silky boy
Consecutive sentence for the lazy youth.
A judicial frown at the golden boy,
For a series of criminal acts of
Merchandisation of justice.
A judicial bite on the scrotum of the commoner
For a singular criminal act of
Wandering or victimless street-fighting.
When the Bench sentences the Bar,
Mandatory becomes discretionary—
A two-year course
May be completed in just a month.
When the Bench sentences the Bar
A slap on the wrist is still for deterrence
A pat on the back is still for deterrence
A tap on the nose is still for deterrence
Allocutus,
No matter how sonorous it sounds,
Should it arm-twist the pillars of Themis?
When the sauce for goose
Is no longer the sauce for gander,
The desires of justice
Can no longer be the order of the day
States will return to nature
Nature will return to states
And state of nature will result.
–Bolaji Ramos, Esq.
Copyrighted 2018