Their Self-Defense Poem by RIC BASTASA

When the incident happened
Three of them took turns
Mauling the victim
Using firewood they hit
His nape, using their fists
They hit his face and arms
And back and when he knelt
For mercy, they still kick him
And spit on him, until he fell
To the ground
Losing his view of what
This world is all about

Is this world all about hatred?
Is this world all about violence
Inflicted by a brother to another
Brother? Is dialogue not a
Possibility to settle this war?

That night, he saw dead stars and blood
Not the beautiful stars in his poems
But the stars of pain & grief when he
Lost his consciousness
When his eyes were forced to close


Now he invokes the law
Against them who almost
Killed him
He invokes the law of the just
On his lacerated lip and
Multiple injuries around
His human body

And I listened to the defense
Of the three accused
They say they were only
Defending themselves
Because he wanted to talk
To them on the dead of the night
And wanted an explanation
About the grudge of this world
Against him and his kindness
He stared at them and they
Did not like it, his eyes
Stabbed them
With so much light and it
Was also painful
The stare was grievous


I looked at the eyes of pain
On his complaint and today
I made a decision

The verdict, of course
Is Guilty.