The victim

[Delta40]

Cameron boy
I'm sorry honesty
is not given the credit
it so deserves

I understand how it feels
to deny the foul truth
and be eaten up inside
What courage you have!

When you spew out pain
and ask forgiveness
for the sin of omission
the jury finds
reasonable doubt

The law sucks
my heartfelt empathy
cannot evaluate facts
given in evidence
I believe you son

Forgive me

[PrinceMyshkin]

I cannot guess at the story behind this but recognize the deep-felt empathy of your response to it.

[Delta40]

I have been on jury duty. a young boy alleged he was penetrated by an elderly person he went camping with. I felt like Jack Lemmon in Twelve Angry Men but without success....

[hillwalker]

Even before I heard your story I sensed a tragic story unfolding. This is truly shocking and I can feel your bitter frustration seeping out of every line.

[Jesterhead]

I liked the emotion of this. well done. and a tragic story.

[Hawkman]

When you spew out pain
and ask forgiveness
for the sin of omission
the jury finds
reasonable doubt



Hi D40,

I confess I found this a little confusing. This verse reads a little ambiguously. It could easily refer to either the victim or the accused.


I have been on jury duty. a young boy alleged he was penetrated by an elderly person he went camping with. I felt like Jack Lemmon in Twelve Angry Men but without success....

The explanation is also ambiguous. Henry Fonda (sorry, not Jack Lemon) in '12 Angry Men' was arguing for innocence and convinced his fellow jurors to acquit so I'm not 100% sure which way you are arguing.

I fully accept that you know exactly what you mean but I don't think that the casual reader gets the full picture. I get the sense of a miscarriage of justice, but I don't quite understand how/why it happened.

Best, H

[Delta40]

I have seen Henry Fonda in the orginal. Jack Lemmon played the same role in the remake. I was the only one out of 11 to voice a different verdict. I felt like Jack Lemmon because the burden was on me to show them why I arrived at the verdict I did. Some Jurors felt no obligation to discuss the reasons for their verdict. It is easy to decide a child is not honest, so return a not guillty verdict based on reasonable doubt. However the law does not operate at that simple level. we, I learned, do

In relation to the stanza: The boy delayed telling his mother and that impacted on his credibility - the assumption being any child who is sexually molested would reasonably tell their parents. I strongly disagree but it doesn't matter if 11 other jurors use it as a valid concern in order for them to reach their verdict

I'm sorry it isn't 100% clear (that doesn't make me a nonpoet though does it???) - nor was the child's testimony.

[Hawkman]

Hi D40 and thanks for clarifying. I don’t think I ever saw the TV movie, in fact I was not even aware of it, so thanks for drawing my attention to it.

I agree with you in that I don’t believe a child would immediately rush to tell anyone, even their parents of such an assault.

I certainly never intended to imply that you were, “a non poet”, and I can assure you that my appreciation of your other poems posted, was and is, entirely sincere.

With regard to this one I don’t think it is a bad poem, quite the opposite in fact, but I stand by my observation that it is a little ambiguous. Now that you have explained the circumstances it makes perfect sense. But my point is; I needed you to explain it.

Thanks again and I look forward to your next offering. Best, H

[Delta40]

lol I know you are not implying I'm not a poet. I applied the standard to judge the boy to me as a poet. I think I might leave this unchanged because its ambiguity is what went against the boy and it seems fitting somehow.

thank you so much for you feedback