“Judge, clerk, lawyer, reporter, savior —
can you tell me at what stage
the soul of justice retires and
its wisdom numbed? Does any one time
the virginity of law’s tolerance?
Can you tell me at what stage —
Judge, clerk, lawyer, reporter, savior?
The withered leaf on justice’s branch
is teaching all of us a lesson:
this is not a bottomless pit
sudden frost pins leaves on tight.
The sign reads: not a Sisyphus tree!”