Nicholas Etikini Poet Political Verse

I plead the Fifth which is Out of Order

I Plead the Fifth

We were taught the Constitution like scripture—
memorize the amendments, underline freedom,
say it like it’s untouchable.

The Fifth Amendment promises
the right to remain silent,
protection from self-incrimination,
life and liberty secured by due process.

But what does due process mean
to a child hiding under a desk
while footsteps echo down a hallway?

What does liberty mean
to a family outside a detention center
clutching paperwork like a life jacket?

What does life mean
when headlines move faster than funerals?

We say, “I plead the Fifth,”
like silence is safety.

But silence is often the problem.

We stay quiet after another school shooting.
Quiet when families are torn apart.
Quiet when pride pulls a trigger
and calls it strength.

The Constitution says the government
cannot take your life without justice.

But what about when we take each other’s?

Who tries envy?
Who sentences hatred?
Who holds accountable a culture
that says win at all costs?

We climb over shoulders and dreams
and call it ambition.
We protect property harder than people.
We debate louder than we mourn.

And when truth feels heavy,
when the mirror reflects us in the chaos—
we plead the Fifth.

Silent about bullying
until it becomes violence.
Silent about injustice
until it becomes tradition.

The Fifth Amendment was meant
to shield the innocent—
not excuse indifference.

Imagine if we gave each other
due process:
listened before judging,
reasoned before reacting,
cared before climbing.

A free land isn’t proven
by memorizing rights.
It’s proven by protecting lives.

So today,
I don’t plead the Fifth.

I plead for better—
for classrooms filled with laughter, not alarms,
for borders that don’t erase humanity,
for ambition that doesn’t require casualties.

The Constitution promises life and liberty.

It’s time we stop being silent
and start living it.

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