Justice is an Egg [Edit]

[dukealien]

Justice is an Egg

Edit 1;

“Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”
              - anon.

Justice is an egg whose rooster is
    white outrage, red revenge,
    black vendetta when avengers meet
    heeled, spurred, bloody-eyed
    drive-by cockfighting.

Justice is an egg whose hen-fowl is
    aggrieved acceptance that complies,
    tames cocksure savages,
    pecks listlessly
    but in the end nests, brooding.

Justice is an egg, infertile if
    its hen does not conceive:
    witnesses hide, terrorized,
    lose hope of impartial
    but implacable redress by law.

Justice is an egg whose hatchling is
    trust - confidence bereaved and victimized
    will have their day, witnesses their say.
    Offspring of compliance and revenge
    trust wobbles but it grows.



original version;

Justice is an egg whose rooster is
    white outrage, red revenge,
    black vendetta when avengers meet
    heeled, spurred, bloody-eyed
    drive-by cockfighting
    over insults that define them
    but happen to be crimes.

Justice is an egg whose hen-fowl is
    acceptance, resignation that complies
    but briefly tames the cocksure savage,
    yields to force majeure,
    pecks listlessly
    sharp jots and tittles of the law
    but in the end nests, brooding.

Justice is an egg, infertile if
    its hen does not conceive
    or if its rooster’s outrage fails,
    witnesses hide, terrorized, lose hope.
    Detectives facing surly anti-snitching
    shrug and lose their hard resolve,
    cannot sell the concept of impartial
    but implacable redress by law.

Justice is an egg whose hatchling is
    trust - confidence bereaved and victimized
    will have their day, and witnesses their say
    in safety.  Shedding shells of lawyers,
    bureaucrats, officials, policies -
    offspring of compliance
    and revenge, trust wobbles
    but it grows.

---

After reading Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America (Jil Leovy).

It's the chicken and the egg:  ghetto people won't talk to the police because the police never do anything about the thugs (and anyway the thugs would come after them) so instead they root for more murders to avenge the crime... and police never do anything because no one will testify and they can't just execute street justice on the thugs they suspect.