She could think of you And wonder what you'd Say, how you'd act, What your answer would be. You could laugh In the rain and she'd Wonder how you knew So much.

Hope thinned and you Knew the answer so simply And she always wondered How you didn't wonder. She was malleable to your Views. After all you Even made her like Orange soda.

There's a fine line between a role model and an idol.

You let her down When she began to make you Wonder and you began To mold to her views. Someone so strong Bending; were you bent On change? She loved that you Worshipped the Unwritten Code; It kind of appalled her When others didn't.

And you said there Were two types of Regret. She couldn't Tell the difference between Them, and that made Her wonder. You have to Realize that she hates Wondering.

She wanted to speak Thirteen languages because She thought you could Understand people. But when She dreamt in Portuguese she Realized she could only understand Herself.

You were never honest with yourself.

She wanted to believe In you because she loved You unconditionally. But Somewhere here or there you Crossed a line and let her down. Didn't you realize she was fragile-- You were supposed to Let her down easy?

So flip things upside down Once a week or more; you're Nostalgic for disaster and maybe She is too. Or maybe she'll Have enough and learn to live For herself. Just be careful Who you betray next, because You may not always step on A jackpot of forgiveness.

Watching you struggle over That word I wonder how and Why and if it really even matters-- Will anyone ever stop you For directions? Sitting here I could translate it for you If it weren't for the only-English Policy. Are we forced to speak One language in life? That color's on your lips and in Your mind all the time and Outside of this, outside of here How do you survive? Watching you struggle over That word I wonder if that's The word that helps you Survive. Maybe you don't Know it but you're helping Me survive. Outside of this, Outside of here, we might As well all be homeless. Is This the only place you've Ever felt at home? Watching you struggle over That word, struggling to learn This language, I'm struggling To learn your language. But there's an only-English Policy so for now I'll give You something universally Understood--a smile.

The pound of the gravel Starts things off And you'll wonder if things Are really starting off Or are you still dreaming? Get the jury organized, Watch the people stare, Watch the people glare, Are they glaring? Introductory speeches And he's fighting for Your side--is he fighting For your side or for Your money? You never know, but You can make your guesses. Sitting in the stand The crowd looks so huge-- The crowd has always looked So huge from your Viewpoint. Like that book You once read, place yourself In the accuser's shoes and Know exactly what he's Thinking. You've never believed In blaming people and it's Hard to bend your mind Around the idea as you know That although the legal system Might be one way, in his Mind you'll always be guilty Until proven innocent. His gorgeous eyes and Mesmerizing voice calling Out the charges and you Wish you could be the one With the gorgeous eyes calling Out the charges. Examination and cross-examination And even more, double the Scrutiny, double the interrogations And the glares. Get your facts straight-- Was it out of self defense Or did you have bad intentions? Can you honestly prove Innocent and at the same time Beg for forgiveness? Eyes wide in the crowd, Jaws dropping, somewhere Out there is the famous 88 look. Your best friends, your Family, the accuser's friends And family and you wonder Which side is which. Closing speeches and you Let your breath out And sometimes the thought Of spending time in that place Not so bad, sometimes horrific, Sometimes the thought of Escape not far off. Jury deliberates and you Stare at the clock, wanting to Know the verdict and hit rock Bottom, wanting to hit rock Bottom only so that you can Come up again. Tick tock tick tock And you think of a poem You could write and laugh Because depending on the Verdict you might have No pen and paper. Tick tock tick tock And the judge reads Out the verdict, that fair, Matter of fact tone, said over Twenty seven times, he Doesn't care. He's doing His job and getting paid, And he'll go home to his Family tonight. For now He has no one to be loyal To and no one to care About; he's just out for Justice and food on the plate. Don't pay attention to what He reads until they twist Your wrists backwards into Tiny silver rings--a rope around Your neck, deprived of oxygen, One last look at the Crowd before you realize you're Guilty.