Please Don’t Choke The Water Bottle
Please don’t choke the water bottle
we cannot stand the sound
of crinkling plastic folding up
then falling to the ground
Please don’t choke the water bottle
we do not need to see
how vessels bound with rubber bands
could mimic agony
Must you choke the water bottle
have we not heard enough
to know the mother meant no harm
she’d simply had it rough
Foreman, why can’t we stop this ruse
we’re sickened by this sight
the sooner that we all can walk
we’ll sleep so well at night
Your Honor – we’re at an impasse here
one holdout grips the key
to stall our single-minded vote
to set the victim free
Counselor – perhaps a word from you
could somehow stay his throttle
we can’t endure another glance
at that crushed water bottle
Time’s up! The media must know
we tried our best to coddle
but justice caved to one hard man
who choked a water bottle
Anthony C. Hayes is an actor, author, raconteur, rapscallion and bon vivant. A one-time newsboy for the Evening Sun and professional presence at the Washington Herald, Tony’s poetry, photography, humor, and prose have also been featured in Smile, Hon, You’re in Baltimore!, Destination Maryland, Magic Octopus Magazine, Los Angeles Post-Examiner, Voice of Baltimore, SmartCEO, Alvarez Fiction, and Tales of Blood and Roses. If you notice that his work has been purloined, please let him know. As the Good Book says, “Thou shalt not steal.”