Foul Tongues of Deceit

I arrived

in the courtroom

bringing

nothing but truth

in you strode

with your regal parade

of six-figure experts

and white shoe firm

shysters

I looked at the jurors

directly, sincerely

and gave them the facts

while you and yours

gave to them

nothing but lies

your face straight

as a hatchet

with hooded reptilian

unblinking eyes

I subpoenaed your records

but lo and behold

they’d been somehow transformed

wiped clean now pristine

of all evidence

leaving me

no way to prove

the infection devouring me

came from your work

all my months of complaints

of the deep pain from

sternal non-union

were gone from your records

instead

you attacked me

and cast me with greed

spit all over

my unsullied character

oh, man, how I wanted

to strangle your arrogance

but I didn’t

God damn you

I didn’t

you won

and I lost

but I held my head high

when I got up to leave

both you and injustice

behind in that courtroom

one hand on my cane

arm-in-arm with my wife

returning to what

you’d left of my life