Two Poems By Russel Winick

Post-Arrest Inevitability

When someone gets arrested
For a “white collar” crime,
Two other things then happen
Almost all of the time.

A neighbor says: “He seemed so nice!
A dark side?  No one knew it!”
Then criminal defense attorneys 
Swear he didn’t do it.

Otherworldly Ego

His gravesite’s massive self-made plaque
Extolls his life achievements.
Its shocking size took us aback,
But should help with bereavements.

It dominates inside that space,
Best tribute he could get.
But one thing still seemed out of place –
The man was not dead yet.

Mr. Winick began writing poetry two years ago, after concluding a long legal career. He composes mostly formal poems, although ironically his two favorite poems – Langston Hughes’ Mother to Son and Robert Hayden’s Those Winter Sundays – are both free verse. Well over 100 of Mr. Winick’s poems have been published in nearly a score of online and print journals.