I Am Your Public Defender

We do not wear the judge’s robe, Nor sit upon their towering seat, But in the shadows where you walk, We bring the fire to your defense. We do not ask what you have done— The law has made its cold decree— But still we stand, though storms may come, To guard your frail humanity. Some say you are already lost, Your name weighed down with darkened crimes. But we believe in what remains, The slow, fierce hope that blooms in time. Your chains may rattle in the hall, Your nights may pass with sleepless dread, But we are here, we see it through, Your trembling voice will still be read. The system moves with grinding steps, No haste, no heart, no room for grace, But we will match its breathless pace, And fight for truth in every place. The path is long, the walls are high, Your soul may bend beneath regret, But in the quiet of your cell, You must not fold, you must not quail. For you must cease the storm within, The fire that brought you to this place, And show restraint, and learn again To walk with honor, not disgrace. A thousand judgments fill the air, But none must come from you or me— Let silence speak, let patience prove The truth that waits to set you free. We are your shield, your final thread, We do not flinch, we do not flee, But truth must walk in both our shoes, So never lie—speak true to me. Not every path will lead to light, Some ends are dark, some choices blight, But if we walk this path as one, Some mercy still we yet may find. And in the end, if justice stands, It may be not for guilt or pride, But that one voice refused to break, And one brave soul stood by your side. I am your Public Defender.