Unreliable Citizen
Officer, I’m here to turn myself in
"What did you do? Start at the beginning."
I didn’t do anything,
Negligence is my sin
I was walking the street with my friend
We saw young men lurking around,
Playing music
"That’s not a crime, did they have weapons,
Did they use them?"
No, the problem was a real young girl
Under the influence
If anything happened to her,
It’s the men’s fault,
Not the liquor or her abuse of it.
I’m so ashamed,
To have seen her and look away
Like a short while ago I wasn’t in her place
So please, take me in and throw away the key
I won’t dispute any thing or try to bargain for a plea
New Yorkers say we’re from NYC
We’ve seen everything
As if it absolves us of responsibility
We tell ourselves it don’t got nothing to do with me
But with the molester, the rapist, the abuser,
Bystanders are just as guilty
Tell me how we’re in the city of no sleep
But no one saw anything
Or was it simpler to turn a cheek?
I hold myself accountable,
But know some just as liable
Although they’d never admit their role
Because they live in denial
And when they’re trying to find perps,
To me they’re easily identifiable
They’re the mutes who walk by,
Citizens who are unreliable
Post Comments
Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.
Please
Login
to post a comment
Turn off ads, get more exposure for your poetry, and get more features with a
Premium Membership.
