Or raider. Raper
of the defenseless.
A pseudo-prosecutor
in a subdued courtroom
orating opinion as fact,
that to be an uncaught killer
is to be clever.
America voyeurs the poor
while dreaming of being
a white chapel in Kansas,
knowing its existence
depends on everyone’s belief
in the supernatural.
Bullying the voiceless
while inventing synonyms——
freedom fighter, God’s wide
field——
America repeats its favorite fetish:
taking selfies while wearing
victims’ panties.
America feigns assault
while holding its own noose.
Livid with righteousness,
America waits for today’s sun
to go down,
when it can no longer
see orchards of baby oak trees,
when it finally turns its back
on tomorrow.
Natalie Marino is a poet and practicing physician. Her work appears in Heavy Feather Review, Little Patuxent Review, Pleiades, Salt Hill, wildness and elsewhere. She is the author of the chapbook Under Memories of Stars (Finishing Line Press, 2023). She lives in California. You can find her online at nataliemarino.com or on Instagram @natalie_marino. Her favorite revenge story is Hamlet by William Shakespeare.
