Lost
federal court rooms are all wood
acoustics mastery - sound drops dead
no muffled conversations
the silence is palpable, tactile
I would be a witness
cooperating with the prosecutor
a case against my former colleague
I cried
what I lost in loyalty
conceding an acknowledgment of guilt
might improve my outcome
it did not
maximum sentence: 5 years
recommended by the prosecutor's office
ignored by the judge, who ordered reasonable
..... punishment, like a child
not like a child
freedoms locked, no negotiation
a letter from the local registrar
"Your voting privileges terminated"
Copyright © Ann Copland | Year Posted 2014
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