You don’t have to commit a murder to be a felon

any petty crime can be built into a felony

by the courts

a foolish mistake or prank gone bad

a single homeless mother desperate

to feed her children will become a felon

for writing a bad check to survive

a family squabble that explodes into

domestic emotions

can land a person in jail to cool off

and then turn them into a felon

the title “felon” is a social curse

on the poor

A LIFE SENTENCE

ostracized by employers who lump

all felons as dishonest and

dangerous people

felons are denied employment,  housing,

and opportunities to prove themselves

there are over two million people in

our prisons and we call ourselves

a humanitarian country

thousands each year are released with

the mark of the devil hanging

over their heads

homelessness becomes the fate of many

and crime often is all that is left

for them

they get recycled back into the

prison system for simply trying

  to survive

taxpayers pay the bill and the rich

benefit with profits for their

evil deeds of  creating felonies

where none exist  

and the oppressed  pay the price

simple as that.