Michelle Poem by Joe Rosochacki

A sketch colored from the crayons of a child was to be the witness,
All life maybe unfair at times and the heck with irony, paradox injustice,
Michelle I never knew you, but I think I know what you were like.
From your personal history of loving and caring,
removed from bigotry and prejudice and to follow your creed
-or what you perceived as truth.
This may have cost your existence on earth indeed, indeed.
Your cause for the world to make a better place was certainly noble,
To comfort the uncomforted, assist to assistable, to feed those who could not swallow,
to clean And bathe those who otherwise, in their feces, would wallow.
Did you deserve the end by such an unjustifiable means?
Certainly not, you trusted too much, loved too much,
Reality is what you didn’t know,
Ms. Rougeau,
It is either you hadn’t learned or you’ve forgot.
You cared too much and asked for nothing.
You were drained day to day, week by week, year by year-
You’ve could’ve asked for something,
I bet you did, you probably ask for more energy to give more,
Chances are the person that slashed you over and over again
was a schizophrenic in crack
Who doesn’t know anything about How, When, Who and When.
Michelle, you gave too much in your 35 years,
By your naïve trust in humanity, such as child,
You seemed to be innocent, saintly,
The Niagara Falls pouring out emotions through blood, sweat and tears,
You are an example of the injustice in humanity,
You are the reason people question, life, values, truth, love, hope, faith and sanity.


(6/1988)