an air of punishment

the judge addressed him
from behind
the bench

your trial
is now concluded

it has shown
without a doubt
that you are guilty
as accused

it falls now
to this court
to pronounce sentence

with regard to element
we have determined:

air

with regard to the nature
of that air
it shall be:

heavy

you are sentenced
to go forth
carrying with you
a personal surrounding
of your punishment

worn as close as a fitted suit
of clothing

this surrounding
of air
will be weighted
as heavily
as densely
as each of your misdeeds
warrants

go forth now
as well
as you are able

become a better man

the judge
slammed the gavel
once

the sentence
was applied

free to leave
yet
weighted down
by his past

the hardest first act
of his new life
was to stand up
unaided

to take the first
step

~

Poem #596 from a series of poems drawn from the imagination and collected as: a Bachelard reverie.†

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