—∞—
When was His Last Breath? As a child When the Sexual abuse Began? Or when No one moved To Stop It? As it continued With others And he stood Helpless? Or when He began Beating the old woman Who befriended him? Some may say It was on the gurney In the blank white room At the prison When was His Last Breath?
© 2014 Thomas W. Cummins
Tags: death penalty, executions, justice, poetry, prison, Sexual abuse
In a dim light... 
February 12, 2014 at 4:35 am |
Tom, your presence in this man’s life would surely have allowed him to trust, even if only one person, in you, to allow his spirit to return to the homecoming of God’s love. He is at peace.You must now also let him go. God Bless You.
February 12, 2014 at 11:12 am |
Thank you, Teri. There is an aspect of not letting go that can be harmful such as obsessive dwelling or feeling haunted. I prefer seeing it as “not forgetting” my accompanying another no matter how brief the journey.
This particular reflection refers back to an execution which took place more than twelve years ago. But it is certainly colored by my subsequent discussions with hundreds of mentally disturbed and damaged prisoners.
Factors swirling around the whole issue of capital punishment, e.g. mental defect, psycho-sexual impact of abuse, racial disparity, following due process, geographic differences, poor defense, etc., need to be put out there by those of us who have stepped behind the curtain.
Breath, to me, is a symbol for all that is life-giving including grace. For the man referred to, I can’t help but wonder when the fabric of his life was irreparably torn, when his last life-giving breath was taken.
February 16, 2014 at 4:25 am
Tom, I do agree with you, that letting go also means not forgetting. I hope I didn’t offend.
Your description of breath as a symbol for all that is life-giving, is deeply thought-provoking.
February 13, 2014 at 9:31 pm |
Tom, we need a different word (button) than “Like” on your posts. It’s always more than that… but I don’t know what the word is.
August 1, 2014 at 8:43 pm |
Chris: a belated thanks.
February 16, 2014 at 8:25 am |
Teri, no offense taken, blessings always.
March 9, 2014 at 7:43 pm |
You’ve taken on a tough job, Tom. I wish peace for you. Thanks for sharing your thoughts in poetry.