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Wednesday, December 05, 2012

TO PISS WHEN YOU CAN'T WHISTLE

by Kim Doyle

"A Warden Says No to the Death Penalty" --The Story, APM, November 29, 2012


The minatory prayers, the hoarse clanging bells,
the procession westward from Newgate to Tyburn.
To sit in the cart facing the rising sun,
the noose around your neck, not the only one.

The dismal ditty, Psalm 51 on your lips -
to recite at the hands of Jack Ketch.
The frolicking crowds dance at Paddington Fair,
the gaggler, the topping cove, the roper was there.

To mount the three-legged mare,
to ride the horse foaled by an acorn -
the morning drop, the nubbing cheat,
the rough wool of the winding sheet.

Capital Punishment in its worm eaten coat,
the old fashioned, drop dead, hearty choke.


Kim Doyle points out that the United States still executes - joining in with fellow third world countries.