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Black and white stone gargoyle
Photo by Donovan Reeves on Unsplash

conscientiously i scribe in defiance —
          motions, letters, briefs
touting my innocence i ask questions impossible to respond to with
          a lie even for proficient quibblers

slick judicial flimflam simply elects reticence

passion manifested in my pleadings zips lips of
          courthouse gargoyles
they wish truly to conjure a believable response but the
          truth i divulge reeks divine revanche

the boilerplate which kept them fed has been shattered
the berm in which they sit deepens with every
          legal mailing

Disclaimer: The views in this article are those of the author. Prison Journalism Project has verified the writer’s identity and basic facts such as the names of institutions mentioned.

Ennis Patterson is a writer incarcerated in Ohio.