A poetry double header on the subject of guilt. With thanks to Suzy Hazelwood for use of the header image. 

Riddled with Guilt

What is that word they say
When a thing has gone astray
Like a worthy antique ashtray
Because what really happened
It slipped from someone’s hand
To break on the floor when it did land
And not wanting to say they had
Made them do something bad
Which in itself made them feel sad
They pretended it had been nabbed
Thus at some unknown undesirable
Would be directed any mad
So leaving the so-called robbed
Irate and unable to rest easy
Impossible not to dwell
Always feeling queasy
For the idea some dirty cad
Had had away as swag
To a murky pawner’s pad
On a sleazy skid row drag
Just for a backstreet bar hop
Where they can’t stop
Until unable to afford
A single more drop
Not even one off homeward
So nothing for it
But sleep in the gutter
Where hello-hello-hello
Police took them for a nutter
Rambling on like
Some lord of the manor
About riches and glamour
While lacking cash
Or any evidence either
The felt collar
Was one of the poor
A big drain in the butt
Of the worthwhile score
At least according
To the Long Arm of the Law
And a judge who agreed
With custodial greed
Sending them down
At Her Majesty’s pleasure
Or at least until they showed
Some sense of realisation
For their real life situation
No more ridiculous notions
Choose to live a destitute lie
Or remain truthfully inside
Not so bad after all then
Nonetheless
In failing to confess
Such a gloriously conjured
Courtroom congress
The real whatever that word party
Remained feeling so plenty
Always digressing with aggression
Any time errant ashtrays were mentioned
So ensuring the superbly imagined
What goes around conclusion
Stayed forever hidden

Rhymed with Guilt

Guilt is a quilt
Stifling like silt
Built on deception
Though opposite of stilts
In direction

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