The Lawyer Is Under Fire... Poem by RIC BASTASA

let it be
rationalize
justify
what you have chosen

but at first
there is always that
decision

to choose: for whom? what for?
why?

you were bashed
you look like an addict
you sound like a used-car
agent

then you tell them
it is nothing personal
this is professional work
he is the client and
he must not be refused
pursuant to the oath

now you are wriggling
into that hot oil
inside the pan below you

fire.