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Tuesday, May 1, 2018

ONE SILLY QUESTION


Did U ever think about why
Officer Smith gets a lavish
send off--a showy parade provided
for by your tax dollars
when he falls in the line of duty?
I do, and I'm not saying he doesn't
deserve the proper respect,
such a risky job...
but then we have Tyrone Smith
over here (no relation)
who was charged with an
equally harrowing task--
that of driving himself to the
store and back without getting
pulled over for not employing his
turn signal, and if he made 
one wrong move 
that could have easily been
curtains for him too--
and ya see Tyrone was just
laid to rest in a pauper's
grave with no fanfare,
no crowds lining the streets
as the cavalcade of motorcycles
files by, and it makes you think--
well maybe not you--
but it makes me wonder about
why that is, and there's no other
reason of course than
authority must have its due...
authority must always have its due. 
 

   

17 comments:

  1. I cannot understand why either of them were killed... in the end you can never by right by a grave.

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  2. Funny you should say that, friend Tim ... as I have often ruminated that not so silly question myself ... about Dr. Smith and patient Smith that is though ... because on top of everything you just mentioned, both could have been wife beaters and child molesters ... one secretly and the other one openly ... anyway ... ya ... Love, cat.

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    1. ... there is no such thing as a silly question ... Love, cat.

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    2. Yes, indeed. In the case of my poem, it's about the public being conditioned to the idea that some lives are better--or at least deserving of more respect--according to their position of authority.

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    3. ... just because I speak with an accent does not mean that I am dumb ... Love, cat.

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  3. Could it be that Tyrone is black and it seems to be OK to murder blacks without consequence over there if you are a policeman.I hope you are not offended by this but this is the impression we are given on the world news.

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  4. The impression you are getting is very close to reality...and it is, in fact, the central point of this poem. Good to hear from you!

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  5. I was about to comment similarly rallentanda. I live in the US and you aren't wrong in your impressions.

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  6. The only people who might miss the answer to this question--that, indeed, should be silly, but isn't because so many people continue to insist that there is no reason for asking it in the first place--anyway, the only people who don't understand the why behind this horror are people who can drive to the store with a broken taillight and feel completely sure that they would probably just get stopped so that the officer can let them that they need need to fix their light. People who don't have to remember not to move their hands from the wheel as an officer approaches or it might be the last thing they ever do. People who don't understand that for some of their fellow humans equality is a myth that happens to someone else.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for your thoughtful response, Magaly!

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  7. "Authority must always have its due" - great line to end a provocative piece!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Jo. It's how they get us to think of them as almost holy...like the flag...so of course they deserve a parade...right?

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  8. Life is never really fair and I guess death is not either. A thought provoking post. The question that is silly is the question never asked.

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