It is legal to kill, when it is legal.
When not, it can be made to be.
In my experience, the legal apparatus is not the same
as the moral apparatus. It is not the same as fairness.
Which is why, when we believe in order, we subjugate the human element
to a sort of indifferent calculus, a kind of unbending
set of rules designed specifically to oppress.
There is an illusion to legality.
I want you to know
I’m on your side. You know it. I know it. We all know it.
We have torn the fabric in two, which is why I am open
to all these hugs from imprisoned men. It is the illegal and legal
coming to mend, those crude stitches cinching and closing the rend.
–
Paul David Adkins served in the US Army from 1991-2013. He holds a M.A. in writing and oral tradition from The Graduate Institute, Bethany, CT. He counsels soldiers and teaches students in a correctional facility. Publications include River Styx, Pleiades, Crab Creek, Connecticut River Review, Baltimore Review, and Whiskey Island.