Published on: 2/8/2010
Mud Puddles and Misdemeanors

matthew picks a perfect stone
smashes the store front window
with a frantic fastball
catches his smile in the puddle currently
soaking through to his socks
it's an awkward moment of self-analysis
bad judgement but good aim

sheilah was going to show up
for work tomorrow
keys held in those fragile fingers
a heart-break analogy
of violent shattered glass
of course she would call immediately
i'm so sorry
can you forgive me?

judge bennett is not a romantic
rarely pauses for effect
stains the sympathetic whispers
with scornful enunciation
views first time offenders simply as rookies
in the vicious game of crime
and serves them as career criminals

matthew glances around the courtroom
for the comfort of her pretty face
observes the apathy of drunk drivers,
petty thieves and meth addicts
when the verdict is handed down
he hardly hears it
unrequited love is a rumbling buzz
a guilty innocence
sincerity captured in a puddle