I stood at the podium, my hands shaking,
For there’s little chance to be freed
“You’ve been accused of robbery,”
The judge said, “How do you plead?”
“Your Honor,” I said. “I beg for your time
For i am on my own
I do not even have a lawyer to defend me
For i was told i already have too much loan.”
The judge rolled his eyes, and heaved a sigh
“Go on,” he said monotonously
I held my breath as i shift my feet
thinking of my first words carefully
“I have worked,” i began, “with sweat and blood
on acres and acres of grain
and yet how is it possible, at a moment’s given,
that my family’s the one who’s starved and in pain?
“I have thrown nets and caught tons of fish
for my countryfolks to be fed
but why is it that in an event of an attack
that i most likely be left for dead?
“I have worked for days and nightshifts,
making sure of everybody’s wellbeing
Yet on the chance of certain death
I am still expected to risk everything
“Your honor, my brother has just been killed,
his body dragged through the streets
by the same people who once vowed to protect us,
as if he was nothing but a sack of meat.
“My children are abused every single day
up to the point of beating them out of shape
But everyone scoffed when we wanted to leave,
and demanded silence from my screams while i was being raped.
“The sack of rice, the loads of fish,
my own health, and the safety of my family
Why should i be punished and be sent away
for trying to survive substantially”
The judge boringly looked up from his phone
and gave me a dismissing look
“I charge you guilty,” the great man said,
with his palm on the Holy Book
I tried to kneel with tears on my cheeks,
“But my children, my children!” I begged
“You should have thought about them before you stole,”
But i did. Didn’t he understand? I did it for them.
As i was being dragged away,
reminding me of my brother’s death,
My husband’s grip on my children’s arms
was enough to steal my breath
How do i live in a life turned against me
How do we live if survival demands a price
With every single breath we heave
It takes folds and folds to suffice
I sat on the floor, my breath still shaking
I heard the guards talking outside
They said I will be put in a special cell
Where all those before me have died.
Zee Ro 