Galleries

CRIME IN AMERICA

CRIME IN AMERICA
  • 2013
  • 25: X 31″
  • ACRYLIC ON CANVAS

I KNEW THE DUDE

What they had written on his marker —
and on the monument to others like him
went something like this:
KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY
HELPING TO PROTECT SOCIETY
Sounds good, doesn’t it?
Years from now,no one but his family
will know the difference.
But I knew the dude;
he was a bad actor from way back
and it really went down like this:
He and another cop
got caught in the middle of a gambling game
at a joint known for its bad actors.
Naw, he wasn’t trying to bust it up;
He stopped in after work to see if he could
increase his paycheck
And someone told downtown to raid the place
looking for dope;
He just got caught in the crossfire, down on his knees
shootin’ craps,
crappin’ out,
and he crapped out.
The monument reads “In memory of our gallant men in blue,
who died defending the citizens.”
But I knew the dude!