Two Little Piggies (For Lionel Tate)

by Marcus Harris


Two little piggies went to court for a crime,
     the charges for each were alike,
but one little piggy has Black skin,
     the other is covered in white.

        This little piggy's crime occurred at home,
             the other's happened in a public school,
        but this little piggy engaged in horseplay,
             the other utilized a lethal tool.

This little piggy assailed a little girl,
     the other shot two young men,
but this little piggy's intent was amusement,
     the other's: malicious revenge.

        This little piggy smiled during his endeavor,
             the other also bared his teeth,
        but this little piggy grinned from juvenile zeal,
             the other from malevolent glee.

This little piggy's crime came at age twelve,
     the other's came at age fifteen,
but this little piggy was tried as an adult,
     the other qualifies for clemency.

        This little piggy will be in prison for life,
             the other's fate is much less weighted,
        for, they say this little piggy has crime in his veins,
             but the other "can be rehabilitated."

In the end, this little piggy cried for his misdeed,
     while the other's face remained stone cold,
but this little piggy is seen as a threat,
     the other will soon rejoin the world.

Two Little Piggies (For Lionel Tate) by Marcus Harris

© Copyright 2002. All rights reserved. No portion of this work may be duplicated or copied without the expressed written consent of the author.


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