justice be a spat upon man,
gutter shoes and droopy eyes
justice be a girl in mud,
tar black with ooze stink
justice be a three-legged dog
tilted by a sorry, tattered ear
justice be the fish on the shore
left to gurgle and flop and expire
justice be three birds on a wire
making moan sounds in a stiff wind
justice be the collapsed tire in a heap
of junk where hungry children crawl
justice be nothing like a sun or moon
or star or cluster of stars in a black sky
justice be the middle syllable of a word
thrown away, a language thrown away
justice be the metal heart of a soldier
who carried nothing over the last hill
Justice, Elusive
Mercedes Lawry is the author of three chapbooks, the latest, In the Early Garden with Reason,was selected by Molly Peacock for the 2018 WaterSedge Chapbook Contest. Her poetry has appeared in such journals as Poetry, Nimrod, and Prairie Schooner and has been nominated seven times for a Pushcart Prize .