For the IndieInk Writing Challenge this week, Jester Queen challenged me with “I’m certain you’re an honest young man. Nonetheless, I need concrete proof before I can make an accusation of that nature” and I challenged Michael with “I’ve got half a mind to destroy the world that destroyed me.”
Pending Investigation
“I’m certain
(Though I keep the lies out of my voice;
I speak in even tones, level out my
words, because the illusion of belief
is what matters here, and I’ll never get
the truth if you’re uncertain about me)
you’re an honest
(Though I don’t know the truth, but
I know it’s not coming from your
tongue. I know that there’s a corpse,
shells that fit your pistol, and that
unlike the person you accuse,
you still don’t have an alibi)
young man. Nonetheless
(Though solving these cases
is in my blood, my breath;
the scent of a rat is always
on my nose, the sound of
a lie is always in my ears.
Are you stupid? What are
trying to pull? Do you know
who you’re talking to?)
before I can make
(Before I could even begin
to pretend that any word
from your mouth could be
believed, that the stench of
crime doesn’t hang in a cloud
above your head, that the person
you accuse hasn’t already
been cleared of all suspicion)
an accusation of that kind.”
(I can hardly wait to hear
how you talk your way
through this mess)
***
For more about this piece, click below the jump.
This was a tough one for me, because it conjures up the idea of a crime or mystery, and that’s not my genre at all. At a loss for what to do, I tried a thesaurus mapping exercise from Wingbeats and through that decided to try a poem from the perspective of the investigator.
I loved it! The thoughts between the speakers words brought an entire scene to life.