YOUNG OFFENDER

I know the thrill
of standing there
in someone’s home
I’ve broken into
surrounded by the possessions
of their lives and lifestyle
that are part of them
and my access to good times
I love the thrill

I know the rush of flight
and being caught
an actor in a melodrama
a clip in COPS
I earned my badge too
doing it
embracing the adrenaline
pounding in my heart and veins
I love the rush

I know the camaraderie of confinement
united against a system
the amorphous Them
Divided by the fear of violence and rape
fascinated by being there
until streetwise
I hit the street again
Knowing that the truth
is beyond the fiction of TV
I am defined by Us and Them
I have friends

I know the concern of others
those who care
and those who’re merely paid
they try too
I can also be a victim if I choose
It’s all so easy
But what game is this?
Why feed me this shit?
I know where it’s at
and that’s where I’m going

 

RECENT ACCUMULATIONS AND APPROPRIATED VOICES, Kalayaan Publications, 1997

  

Content of this website is released with ‘copyleft’ license, that is you are free to copy, redistribute or use it for your own purposes provided you retain the present copyleft notice including my name and contact information, allowing others to subsequently reuse the material.  Robin Sharpe, crankyman98@gmail.com.