AFTER 4 TRIPS, 3 EMAIL STRINGS, AND 5 PHONE CALLS TO POLICE RECORDS
by Susan Vespoli
At Police Records, commercial planes shoot over the parking lot,
one by one. Big silver underbellies thunder, cast shadow.
Inside, clerks stand behind glass windows like bank tellers
as we wait our turns to pay tickets or request documents,
give tracking numbers, ask again and again, Is it ready yet?
And the answer is no, no, no, and reminds me of selling
Girl Scout calendars as a little girl, asking face
after face of those who say no before door slams.
But at Police Records, people slump in chairs,
vending machines drop corn nuts and M&Ms.
A piece of paper is Scotch taped to the plastic back
of a lobby chair, handwritten in black marker: “Broken.”
Author’s note: Critical Incident Review Board—Its purpose is to review officer involved shooting, use of force incidents resulting in serious injury or death...to determine and recommend to the Police Chief whether the actions of a police officer were appropriate or if they violated Police Department policies or orders.
Susan Vespoli lives in Phoenix, AZ where she continues to write toward finding some sort of justice for her son, Adam Vespoli, who was shot and killed by police on March 12, 2022.
Editor's Note: The New Verse News previously published four of long-time contributor Susan Vespoli's poems about the killing of her son by police: "Before I Knew Adam Had Died" and "My Ex-Husband Calls To Tell Me Our Son Has Been Shot By Police," "Police Violence in Reverse," and "Dear 2022."