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Shahriar Shahriari |
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Poems - Critique of Society - Group 6
On Law & Order
Laws are made to be broken
A proverb, of old age spoken;
Not broken in villainous defiance
In spite of trusting public reliance,
But broken with innocent morality
Like children, in a perfect reality
On seashores building castles of sand
Then joyfully destroying them with their hand.© Shahriar Shahriari
Vancouver, Canada
May 31, 1997
Sitting in a coffee shop on election day
I overheard two people, not far away,
One asked the other, "for whom did you vote?"
The other's voice replied with an apologetic note
"For H.F. I declared my troubled choice"
"I did the same" replied the first voice,
Explaining, "In fact I voted against the other party"
The other bellowed out a loud laughter, hearty,
"For the one I really wanted to vote for
Had no hope of being elected to the 'House Floor'
So I reluctantly voted for the lesser evil
Choosing to cast out the mighty devil."Upon this dialogue I ponder much
See the same pattern in all that I watch
All the world over, in every election
People are presented a limited selection:
The devil runs against Satan's own defender,
The saintly candidate, a distant contender.
Elections are won before they begin
Yet people believe non-voting a sin
The electoral system a giant machine
Gets people to vote which party will win
The honor and glory of being the technician
Of keeping the machine in mint running condition.I pondered on this further and further
Saw other ways our choices we surrender;
In dead-end jobs, we remain a slave
For if we quit, we must then brave
The devil's own wrath, financial risk
Which may empty our bank accounts brisk.
Then what shall we do? Who shall we turn to?
Who will help us? How will we get through?
For the lesser devil, it's better to settle,
Put up with slow death, slowly our souls sell.And in relationships we do the same thing
Opt not to leave, in spite of its venomous sting;
For with this person I've learnt the pain
In other cases I must learn again,
This is my fate, from Eden fall
Succumb to the Satan's own call.
For to say no and to let go
Unfamiliar the seeds we sow
Easy to say "venture into the unknown"
But a leap of faith? Stay with the known
The lesser devil with which I've grown
In lieu of risking being alone.Fear turns us to devil's food.
If our fears we understood,
We'd simply change our attitude,
Let our love choose with gratitude.
Instead of fighting Satan, we should
Change our focus to work for Good.As for the elections, I thought if I vote
I condone the Machine, the system I promote;
Abstained from voting for anyone at all
Thus I overcame the doctrine of "The Fall".© Shahriar Shahriari
Vancouver, Canada
June 2, 1997
A man who maintained his innocence was charged with a brutal crime
Waiting for his trial to come up, in that jail he spent a long time,
After three long years of waiting, he was finally put on trial
In three days he proved innocent, on his lips there was a smile.
After three years of confinement, he was finally let go, free
His punishment for innocence was three years of captivity.
Justice that is too long delayed is injustice, justice denied
Hypocritical, a false promise, equality and fairness belied.
Through long delays in the courts of law guilty are imprisoned, innocent encaged
While waiting for the slow wheels of justice to finally become engaged.© Shahriar Shahriari
Vancouver, Canada
July 2, 1997
The legal system in the West
Designed to serve lawyers the best;
Finding a technical flaw
Practice of modern Law;
As for justice and what is right
Mockery seems its only plight.But there's more than this disease
Patiently bear with me please.The Law serves lawyers' pocket
Medicine is doctors' racket
Justice and Law are as apart
As health is from the medical art.
Where should I turn? Where do I start?
I am losing my mind and heart.
Justice and health are kept hostage
Enslaved for cash, kept in a cage;
With these battered, left with no ideal
Supremacy of cash will be our downfall.© Shahriar Shahriari
Vancouver, Canada
June 24, 1997
"My first duty is to my client
This is why you'll find me pliant
I believe in the adversarial Justice
And so at night, I rest in peace
If my client is guilty of a crime
My adversary will ensure he'll do time
But if of crimes he is innocent
He'll go free ninety nine percent.
In every system there is some flaw
Even in the system of enforcing the law."I said, "so in this system you are reliant
On bringing justice by defending your client.
Ultimately justice is your goal
Not defending your client's soul.
If you are sure of your client's crime
You too must bring him to do time.
If you make your client's freedom your goal
To your client you'll sell your soul."© Shahriar Shahriari
Vancouver, Canada ,
August 25, 1997
© , 1997-2005. Vancouver Canada, & Los Angeles, CA
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