The Law..... Poem by RIC BASTASA

the law is the mold
where we are supposed to take shape
as though we are water or air
and it is the vessel, and

the vessel after we have been shaped
to its likeness
from its mouth tries to tell the world
that here we are
happily married to the prescribed form

all, uniform, all so cruelly shaped
to the likeness of everyone
and those who complained about the pain
is met by the adage at the gate

dura lex, sed lex
dura lex, sed lex.