Controversial?

This poem reflects my opinion which I'm prepared to defend but only with reasonable discourse between opposing opinions. I will not engage with anyone whose argument includes abuse and ad hominem attacks.

The Hanging

He stood, arms strapped to his sides, feet tied together

A hood placed over his head, waiting for the deadly drop

Then it stopped, the hood removed, arms, legs freed

A reprieve! Surely not. He had been convicted, sentenced

But a change of heart or…

What had produced this moment? Not a change of heart

No, not a change of heart, new evidence, last minute, last second

Exoneration: someone else was the criminal, he was innocent

He knew, he knew it all along and now he was free

Free to return to the life he thought was lost, to family and home.

So, when the clamour for the ultimate sanction is loud

Remember this anonymous man who nearly died for your revenge

Have a care that the decision is sound, a dead man can’t be freed.