Ma, nothing’s going to happen.
Cop mistook gun for taser.
Just going to the store.
He passed a bad $20 bill.
Just down the street, to the corner
He failed to use turn signal.
Ok, I’ll use your car.
He just had expired tags.
Why would they stop me?
He had a broken tail light
I know, safety first.
He reached for a seatbelt
Just want to get some cigarettes
He sold loose cigarettes.
Can’t just be frightened all the time.
He ran from officers.
Yes, if I’m stopped, I won’t say nothing.
He was insufficiently compliant
I won’t give them a reason to stop me.
He had a hanging air freshener.
Ma, this isn’t fair. I’m going.
Breaking news….

* Excerpts from the newspaper.

Jeff recently added 60 trees to an apple orchard in May, will be restarting his bee hives soon, and just finished coordinating the WFOP 2021 student poetry contest. His past life roles include MPS Science Teacher, Milwaukee County Park laborer and eastside landlord. Pre-Covid and post-retirement, he was facilitator of several poetry and writing classes/groups for seniors at the Oneida County Senior Center.