He sits in the chair, waiting, hoping for a call |
The Chair He sits in the chair, looking at the crowd He’s all alone, not a word spoken out loud He sighs loudly in the silence of the room His mind's a whirling, his thoughts filled with gloom Nearby a minister begins to softly pray, The man winces as he hears mention of this day A woman sobs softly into her napkin at hand It seems very quiet all across the land Now a bell tolls midnight, the phone hasn’t rung No call had been made, no song to be sung His head is wetted, a sponge clasped in place, A small bag is lowered over his face. He’s asked if he has any final words to say For this will be his very last day His response is a quiet yes, speaking through the bag, He quietly speaks, the words never lag “I do not ask for forgiveness, nor anyone’s love There’s nothing I need that I can think of I know that what happened was not what it seems This isn’t the end, but the start of a dream My mind's now at peace, let’s no longer wait I have to go now, today is the date.” The people in the room are amazed at his words No one is sure of what they just heard Whispering is heard amongst the crowd, But there he sits, his head not bowed Some eyes show doubt, others seem to fear For surely this man doesn’t belong here Others in the crowd do not believe a single word They think this ‘show’ is a bit absurd He’s wronged them somehow, though the evidence is obscure He needs to die in the chair, of that they are sure The phone suddenly rings, startling them all Finally has come that all important call, Time seems to stop as the guard speaks in the phone Turns to the crowd, and says, “It’s time to go home.” Those simple words bring sighs of relief from some, The hood is removed, his time had not yet come This man has been given a moment of reprieve If only he can get everyone to believe He knows he is innocent, but will the law agree He will get another day in court, a new jury For now he will wait, he’s survived this scare, But can his lawyers save him from the electric chair? Jim Dorrell May 26, 2010 |