Opened Eyes of Justice

A quick reflection of what is lost when justice is not served by law that is supposed to govern all inequity.

Opened Eyes of Justice

By

Carlos Lorenzo Estrada 

"Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on." - Thurgood Marshall 

She is no longer blind

Her heart devoid of empathy for the victim

Corruption has spoiled the balance she holds

Justice is not weighted by truth but by bullet 

Justice is not held by standard but by money

Justice is not equal in law nor in color

Left to the winds of mercy what do we reap

With eyes open she is like us imperfect 

Biased 

Without 

Honor 

Or

Hope

And gone are

Civility 

Justice 

And...

Us

Author's Note

feel free to comment and leave thoughts. Thank you.

Reviews

[Soren]

This is an eye opening write for many that feel that we live in a land of laws and order. Instead it is and has been a land of broken treaties, and laws made for the convenience of the wealthy. Who is to fix this? Just-us.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

"Just-us" such a haunting resonating truth in those powerful words my friend. Thank you kindly for sharing your thoughts with me. I really appreciate it.

[Sami Khalil]

A most amazing and powerful poem on injustice, bias and favoritism. I can't agree more. I pray your message resonate in the halls of power which is people's minds and hearts and do something as one.
The law should be applied equally and justly on all regardless of all external factors. Justice was always meant to protect the innocent victims of all sorts of abuse, crime and violations not the victimizers.
Keep it up sir. At least we can do our part as poets.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Sami for your kind encouragement. This poem and its message is one I truly believe in. I will continue to use my art to speak towards injustice in any form. Thank you again my friend.

[Sami Khalil]

Wow! You are welcome sir.

[Sami Khalil]

"Justice is not weighted by truth but by bullet
Justice is not held by standard but by money
Justice is not equal in law nor in color"

[Ama]

This is like a poem that I wish many young people living today should read. They try to find humanity in smart devices , when they have to face real situations they become clueless. The poem is full of words of wisdom Carlos, beautiful..

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Ama for the kinds words. I agree that I wish the young generation would look less onto their mobile devices and engage in the world they are part of instead of living in a virtual world that isn't real. We need activism again in the forefront of our societal issues. Like in the 60's where the youth rose up and said enough is enough and fought for equality. It is up to them to make us a better society because my generation has failed them. These words are meant for them. Thank you again I truly appreciate it.

[Ama]

You are very welcome

[lyricvixen]

i feel like i am reading- a page out of life - it is on the mark - plain yet truth to the rose colored glass we sometimes where to - make it day to day - now seeing we are not - at the place of just-us! this poem is for those know just what you are feeling - but those who have never felt this - will never truly understand the deep lost of know there is no light at the end of the tunnel. and the dark calls your name.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you for such a kind comment on this poem I truly appreciate it. This was difficult to write because of the profound statement it makes on justice. A country can not claim to be the bastion of freedom for all when its laws do not reflect those higher ideas. When it divides its masses by the laws which were meant to govern everyone equally but do not. When the laws are shown to be unequal civility will cease to exist as well as unity. These truly are dark times we live in. Thank you so much again for sharing your thoughts with me.

[Dave Brown]

A meaningful piece
I had earlier done a write on the Rittenhouse situation after watching a 17yr. old feel entitled enough to enter a volatile situation carrying a gun, end up killing two people and be deemed not guilty!
The verdict seemed unbelievable but after considering loose gun laws, legal interstate arms travel, movies that employ violence/ guns as a staple, existing, ongoing racial conflicts, unhealthy para-military realities, along with many cases of accommodating law enforcement, I began to see how it was very able to happen.
One headline declared it was now open season on demonstrators!
No sure it is that dramatic but had he been a 'person of color' I feel the outcome would have been much different.
Kudos to you for this write

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Dave and you are absolutely correct. Our judicial system here in the states is proving it's anything but actually fair. Recently a judge from New York reduced the sentence of a 19 yr old kid who comes from a rich family to serving probation only. His crime was the rape of a 15 yr old and three 16 yr old girls. While a few years back a college athlete of color received 20 yrs to life for the rape of a female. All these crimes are heinous but justice was not dispensed equally. This injustice is proving to be the norm with each passing day. It is unsustainable and is destroying the fabric of our society. We will cease to exist as a democratic republic if we continue upon this uneven form of law. And our destruction would have been self inflicted. Thank you again my friend for your thoughts.

[shadrach hah]

Hi Carlos, your words are so true. There seems to be such inequality in the justice system, there always has been. It is the haves - the havenots, the whites - the others. One can go down the ever largening list. We have to have one justice for all. Maybe one day it shall be so but I don't see it being sometime soon. Keep the word going forward, Carlos. Have a wonderful Monday....Mike.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Mike for your honest assessment and comment on equality and the division within our justice system. Since the 60's and the fight for equal rights we continue to exist in a pernicious judicial system where money equates innocence. It allows a young man from an affluent family get away with the rape of a 15 year old girl and three 16 yr old females only getting probation when a judge felt it was in the best interest of society to reduce the sentence of the rapist. While a few years back a college student of color got 20 yrs to life for the rape of 1 female. We continue to live under this unfairness at our peril. We must reform our government here in the states by removing money from politics. Once that is achieved we can resolve these other issues we struggle to fix. Thank you again Mike for your thoughts I truly appreciate it my friend.

[shadrach hah]

You are welcome, my friend. Have a wonderful Wednesday....Mike.

[Vertigo Cat1111]

Full of wisdom and amazingly written! Each word is full of power and full of thought. Speaking up is one of the best things we can do and you executed that great. But at the same time it’s a beautiful piece with palpable emotions and an amazing flow full of messages and meanings. It’s a rather down sounding poem that shows the grimness of the world and how it’s often rundown just the most angry people. Thank you for sharing!

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Colacat for the kind thoughtful comment I truly appreciate it. I feel it is of vital importance that in times of societal strife one must speak out. To stay silent is to concede and accept unacceptable behavior. I mentioned 2 cases. One where an affluent boy in New York raped 3 teenage girls and got his prosecution reduced by the judge giving probation only. Where a few years back a black college student got 20 years to life for raping a female. These reflect how our justice system is fundamentally broken. Allowing this to continue will bring our eventual demise as a nation. Without equal justice you don't have a civil society. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with me.

[Patricia]

Well done, and it’s incumbent on all of us to find a way to speak truth to power and this is one way. Keep writing!

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Patricia for your comment on this poem. You're absolutely correct we must always speak up against injustice in the world. Art has always been one of the best tools to use during troubled times. Whether it is music, painting, story, or poetry it provides opportunity to use one's voice against wrongs of society. Thank you so much for your encouraging words. I really appreciate it.

[Patricia]

You’re welcome;)

[John the Baptist]

In the partisan divide we find ourselves in, justice seems thus defined: If we win, it's justice. If they win, it's injustice. Does not make for rational discussions.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

There is much truth in that statement unfortunately we do not live in rational times where truth is held to absolute standard. Where a rapist of 4 young teens is given probation because he comes from an affluent home versus a young man of color who was a college student getting 20 ys to life for the rape of a female. Even one using simple common sense would see the inequity in this broken system of justice. We as a society need to have an honest rational discussion of these facts because the system we claim is fair is not working fairly. I feel we can't have these vital discussions until we reform our government and take money out of politics. Where we stop sending millionaires to congress who do nothing but enrich themselves and pass laws to benefit them and their corporate donors instead of society as a whole. And I say this for both political parties which are broken and beholden to money. We get the government we vote for so we shouldn't be all surprised if they are greedy and lie to us. Remove the incentive to accumulate wealth in government and we are half way to resolving many of our divisive issues. Thank you again my friend for sharing your thoughts with me.