DAY OR NIGHT

He knew
the welcome of her body
wasn't love.

Loneliness paid the bills.

 

INNOCENCE BETRAYS

God, I remember your eyes.
You were so scared.
You knew, as I didn't,
that love hurt.
You let me see ... you.
Only your eyes begged. Be kind.
And in my eyes?
Outraged innocence? The death of heroes?
I failed.
You comforted me. It's okay.
You walked away.

 

SCIENTIFIC JUSTICE

 

They told me my brain did it.
Neurochemicals a split second faster
than thought.
Shrunken prefrontal lobes,
something like that.
I am a victim of my brain, they said.
Like the man I killed
The judge nodded.
The jury agreed.
Not guilty by reason of mental impairment.
My brain did it, not me.