A Life taken,

A Life destroyed.

In exchange,

For a wasted Life,

A Life thrown away.

 

A Life taken,

Without proper reason,

Devoid of any real excuse.

An inadequate explanation,

Offered in mitigation.

 

A plea is made,

For leniency and understanding.

But the debt is a Life taken,

A debt that cannot be repaid,

With regret and remorse alone.

 

A Life must be given,

Must be served day by day,

For a Life taken away.

Other memories fade,

While the crime remains clear.

 

Prison walls contain the body,

Iron bars corral the spirit.

Rules and regulations,

Control daily life,

Whilst the mind is haunted by its conscience.

 

Redemption remains elusive,

Parole only returns the ghost,

Of what the offender once was.

It does not fill the void,

Left by the victim’s absence.

 

 

© Julian Knight 2007