NO COMMENT

I wouldn't admit this if it were true.
Not to you. Wouldn't say I murdered
two elderly men or ran over a child.
I wouldn't admit to the rape 
of six nurses on a university campus.
I'd never let you swab my cheeks
for DNA without due cause.
I know my rights. I know that prisons
cannot hold me. I remember
the grin of the barman before
he poured those six martinis
in the lounge. He did not judge me,
even when I bust her lip and ran.
It's something everybody does.
Turn on the news and there I am,
an e-fit that was seen near the bank
just before the robbery. The police
are interested in talking to me
in connection with the incident.
That's not me in the reconstruction.
I was never there. They'll never catch me 
and I'll not come forward on my own.
You'd hate me for the things I'm rumoured 
to have done. I don't care. You think 
I'll never change and I won't. I'll never see 
the consequences if it means my life. 
Nobody will prove me wrong.

A PRIVATE WARNING

for JO

You can't come down this road, it's private.

If you come down this road you'll be arrested.

Not arrested by the police. This is private

business. It is dealt with by somebody else.

No, you can't contact them. Their details are private.

They are to be kept on file. You will hear

from them soon when they get your file which is not private.

Your details must be shared. You have trespassed.

Ignorance does not excuse your transgression. Private

parties have a right to know of your sin,

have a right to know you have entered on private

property without permission. You will be sent

to a private correction facility where your private

parts will be exposed and mocked.

There is no right of appeal. This is private

business. Private business. Private business.