The judge dropped the gavel
his throat full of gravel
but time froze
he felt hollow
he looked at his dad
he shook his head solemnly
couldn’t look at his mom
he knew it would break him seeing her cry
so his head held high
though his knees weakened
his mouth clenched
unable to speak
his face telling a lie
body beginning to shutter
hearing the words of his defeated mother
being her only son
she cried out that she loved him
but he could’t say it
gripped by her words
he tried to say it
he just couldn’t say that he loved her back
but only diction it inside his mind
seeing the imagery of those words
murky and running like his mother’s eyelner
but he thought he could muster a ‘bye’
but he stuttered
then stumbled
beyond the threshold of the door
and as the door shut
he finally broke down…
he was just sentenced to life
and he cried in his shackles like a baby
babies can’t talk, but their cries can still be. understood
and that day, that man became a baby and his cries told more than words ever could.
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