by Peter Devonald
They were guilty, we knew they were guilty,
so much chatter and rumours, so many words
hushed and spoken behind trembling hands,
so many wary looks, stares, lucidity of scowls,
we knew what they’d done, they wore their crimes
like cheap cologne, the sickening stench of shame,
guilt-ridden, tormented, but strangely sanguine,
strangely celebrating their terrible violent insults
to humanity. It marked us all, with deep-felt anger
and regrets, a neglect that ate away at us, parasites.
It destroyed us, our terrible inaction, no justice,
no hint of legitimacy, we had blood on our hands,
every day he wasn’t prosecuted, every day he walked
around free, we had to do something, we had to,
you do understand that, don’t you? We followed him
to the woods at the edge of town, wore masks, wore
our hearts on our sleeves, just there to talk to him,
just there to force a confession, but he was so belligerent,
laughing at us, at the victim, at our complete lack
of lawfulness, our complete failure as humans, his face ---
blood red, spitting at us, venom rises, hate, hurt, loss,
I don’t know who threw the first stone, but maybe it was
necessary, maybe we did the right thing, maybe in the
pursuit of truth there are victims? You didn't hear it from
me, you didn’t. But we buried him six feet under, where
foxes howl and scream, where the unkindness of ravens
go for guilty penance, screeching. How could we know that
as he died someone else admitted their own guilt?
How could we know? Maybe they lied? We can’t have been
wrong, he was guilty, so much chatter and rumours, lying.
Peter Devonald is winner Waltham Forest Poetry 2022, Heart Of Heatons Poetry Awards 2023 & 2021, joint winner FofHCS 2023 and second in Shelley Memorial Poetry 2024. Finalist in Tickled Pink ekphrastic contest 2024, highly commended Hippocrates Prize and Passionfruit Review 2024, shortlisted for OxCanalFest Poetry 2024, Saveas & Allingham 2023. Poet in residence Haus-a-rest, Forward Prize nominated, two Best Of The Net nominations and widely published including Broken Spine Anthology, London Grip, Door Is A Jar, Bluebird Word, Vipers Tongue, Voidspace and Loft Books. 50+ film awards, former senior judge/ mentor Peter Ustinov Awards (iemmys) and Children’s Bafta nominated.
Instagram: @peterdevonald
Facebook: @pdevonald
Twitter/X: petedevonald
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