~ at dusk meeting up with a huge Clydesdale horse
while walking home from work
like a dream in the shadows he takes shape
the rider a police officer
on patrol Miss, he says
have a nice evening . . . but I am in a trance
as ... I have never seen anything more beautiful ~
Wit
Where were you when I was arrested at a public toilet for drinking
of a flask of brandy- the man beside me was a police officer out
to catch people like me who needed a drink to survive the tedium of
living in a provincial town in the middle of a landscape of cows
Where were you during the court case when the judge said I was
a disgrace, a plague on the backside of humanity, drinking in public
It is a serious crime, the buffoon thundered, throwing the gavel at me
It hit a guard in the head, who was knocked out
Where were you when I had to run the gauntlet of jeering reporters
and people pointed me out in the street, and a hush when
I entered a café, and the waitress refused to serve me coffee
You went on holiday in Spain, drinking red wine.
**Therapy Session**
Some people insist that a demon exists within all of us.
A rapist is nothing more than a thief,
And it's clear that some public defenders
Don’t have more intelligence than their clients.
Remember, you are not obligated to serve as a juror in every case.
With that understanding, creating a mental trend becomes straightforward.
It's astonishing to discover a hockey player who is anything but fierce
or a police officer controlled by fear and anger.
A cook without a kitchen is ridiculous
as tango without jingo—a philosophy that leaves no gaps.
The new breakfast drink is here: iced coffee
In the morning and mocha lattes all day.
Don’t interfere with the work that empowers us each day.
I am a woman who follows the warmth,
and I refuse to believe that a tree that doesn’t blossom is a worthless creation.
Yes, you can eat tree bark while the lark builds its nest on the ground.
A philosophy without any gaps stands strong.
The Mirror is my forbode
It shows fragility in my face
but my mental self preservation
still resides
I am dancing with light
Rim and Refractive light interludes
bringing her reflective nature to fore
I am rewarded with both fear and delight
But I come without tears
Questions come to me
What should and could I have been
An Academic or A Police Officer
but my mirror comes without preconceptions
I am a drowned Man
The ghost of the future
As supposedly told by Michael Fanone, Capital Police Officer
A bit of snow melted on the ground
as the crowd gathered loudly around
Their leader liked the boisterous noise
especially intrigued by Proud Boys.
An ordinary, cold-weather day
with flags and banners in proud display
Their leader said, "fight" and so they fought
a sadder day, I'd have never sought.
Jan.6 promoted as Best Rally
and will ever be one to tally
the Police wounded and those who died
as the leader's warriors stormed inside.
I fought today in stunned disbelief
I was filled with the worst kind of grief
for it was our countrymen we fought
against iron rods and sprays they had brought
The floor was slick with everyman's blood
the very floor where Abe Lincoln stood
the law-makers ran as the walls shook
No word came, as leader chose to look.
They searched and searched for VP Mike Pence
to hang for he obeyed law and sense
But the next time may ring the war's bell
and Democracy die--time will tell.
If I live a thousand or more years
time won't dry the hundreds of my tears
I've shed since our country's fateful day
hate and anger ensure that they stay.
.
i wanna write
'bout be'n
thuh police officer
the preacher
pilot
prune pitter
well
maybe not
thuh prune pitter
but this scop iz
neither
but
i'm thuh poet
thuh photographer
and thuh
paramour
thus
write i must
'bout thuh femininez
and ourn
ambiguous
arcane
abstruse
bliss
A black sportscar driven by a new driver
Mistakes a two-lane road for a three-lane road
The driver of the car zooms in between two other cars
They both pull off, shaken
One of the drivers is an off-duty police officer.
He goes to the other driver to see if he is okay.
The men discuss what happened.
Did you get a good look at the driver?
Neither of them can describe him
Maybe he was young?
I think he had a red cap.
Before the police officer leaves
The fifteen-year-old girl asks, “Did you want his license plate number?”
Until this moment she had been excluded from the manly conversation.
Corruption
I like winter evenings in Portugal
lit wood fire
my wife prepares the evening meal
On my way home one evening
a police officer stopped me
something about my headlight
I thought of offering him a bribe
but had no idea how to go about it
Police officers are not well-paid
and Christmas was coming up
I'm not a regular Don Corleone
The officer looked disappointed
the traffic fine is sent by post
I told my wife about this episode
the hairdresser in the village
had told her the officer shaves
his pubic hairs fortnightly
I don't think this has got anything
to do with the fine
Not done yet
Jason Doig joined the South Australia Police as a cadet in 1989
Commencing his service as team orientated officer so inclined
Between 1995 to 1998 he served as a Naval Reserve diver too
Giving his time and skill for Australia freely as his duty to do
But he was not done yet
He served the Luncindale Community for twelve years
An ideal country police officer and quintessential bloke without peer
As the bedrock of his Community he was always there
His creed was kind, caring, generous and unique to care
But he was not done yet
Jason was adventurous by habit in all he’d do
He lived his life by his creed all the way through
Taken by an assailant and his duty met
It was clear in this time that he was not done yet….
© Paul Warren Poetry
For Brevet Sergeant Jason Doig South Australia Police killed by assailant’s bullet on 17 November 2023 at Lucindale, South Australia . RIP your duty done.
When you think of heroes, who comes to mind?
Who inspires you the most?
Could it be a sports athlete on the court or the field?
It could be fictional characters like Spider-Man or The S.H.I.E.L.D.
Maybe it's one of your teachers in school;
Or your best friends who are just like you, totally cool.
Your pastor in church, a doctor or nurse,
Your parents/grandparents who warn you not to curse:
It might be your neighbor you see everyday
Or someone in the military fighting for the USA.
A famous singer, an actor, an activist;
A guidance counselor, your siblings, possibly a therapist;
Maybe a police officer or firefighter? That's a pretty long list.
So who do you look up to as your hero?
Think before you answer and try not to boast.
Not all heroes wear capes, as you can see,
But there is a hero inside of you and me.
One man attends the funeral
for a slain police officer,
murdered while simply doing his job,
a routine traffic stop, for Christ sake!
The other man attends a glitzy
star-studded fundraiser filled with wealthy elite,
whose gold-plated plans
are kept secret behind the scenes,
hidden from lesser folk,
who can't know and would not understand,
it tastes good when shoved down the throat;
becoming a sweet nectar--life will be easier
when fools own nothing and are happy.
Gluey aftersight
here is a drunken police officer
loved by a friendless prostitute
here is Chinese opium den
taping around your eyes
Here is a boy loved by many
adored by the crowd
a lonely ballerina who
would love to change places
i feel dirty
dirty
like dishes
in the sink
dirty
like forgotten clothes
in the hamper
dirty
like the earth
between your toes
dirty
like my fingernails
after a day’s work
dirty
like the mind
of a high-school boy
dirty
like a twenty-two-year-old man
and his fourteen-year-old “girlfriend”
dirty
like a woman’s skin
soiled by a man she once trusted
dirty
like the feeling in your soul
when a man calls to you on the street
dirty
like how it feels
to be betrayed
dirty
like society
patriarchal, corrupt, hostile
dirty
like our president
arrogant, incompetent, unfit
dirty
like kavanaugh’s conscience
as he sits on the bench
dirty
like the justice system
views abortion
dirty
like the look
a police officer gives a black man
dirty
like a government
that i cannot change
dirty
like humankind
view people like me
dirty
like my grandmother
thinks of me
dirty
like the world
i am expected to raise a child in
i feel dirty
One time when I was in nursey school, Miss Shanahan had everyone sit in a circle and one-by-one say what we wanted to be when we grow up.
It was what you’d expect…
Doctor
Firefighter
Astro naught
Truck driver
Race car driver
Veterinarian
Police officer
Movie star
Baseball player
Actress
Princess
Detective
Engineer…and the like
Then it was my turn:
“What do you want to be when you grow up Bobby?”
I thought about it a minute, and said
“God.”
That threw her for a loop.
There was no braggadocio.
No narcissism, no conceit, no misplaced pride
I didn’t think I had a shot at it or anything.
Just seemed to me it would be the top job.
Can’t blame me.
A fireman, at age three
I surely was destined to be
At age four
a fireman no more
police officer was now for me
By age five, baseball was alive
in every single one of my bones
Somewhere in there, for a month I remember
wearing lacy dresses like Amanda Jones...
Today parents obsess over role exploration
Just what on earth do our children mean?
Seems to me the kids are learning about life
Why can't we just let them be?!
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