Hedley’s mother had hairy legs.
That’s one reason you liked to

go over for tea some days. That
and the fact she wore the kind

of short dress no other women
you knew would wear at least

not in front of minors like yourself
and Hedley.  More tea? Cake?

she asked giving you the big smile
and oozing her perfume from her

nearby body. Yes more cake please
and are those salmon sandwiches?

Yes dear and there’s plenty more
if you want she replied. She poured tea

and brought more cake and sandwiches
and sat down opposite you and said

how’s your mother dear? Oh she’s ok
you said gazing dumbly at Hedley’s

mother and the way her hands moved
over the plates and held the teapot

with the red fingernails and the rings
on her fingers. Is your husband not here?

you asked. No he’s away business calls
and such like she said giving you the smile

and bright eyes. Oh good glad he’s got
plenty of work on you replied. Hedley ate

and drank and said little over tea. His
mother ate quite daintily her fingers

holding the cup with her little digit sticking
out as she drank. Ah she said suddenly

I forgot the jelly and ice-cream and off
she walked and you watched as she went.

Her hairy legs really grabbed your attention.
Mothers huh? Hedley said. Keeping face

against the odds. Father’s probably
******* his female clients or staying

over in cheap hotels with the red-light girls.
Oh right you said guess some father’s do.

Here’s the jelly and ice cream Hedley’s
mother said on her return hope you like it

she said I like it when it wobbles and the soft
taste on the tongue. Hedley said nothing and

nor did you. You were thinking of Hedley’s father
and those cheap hotels and the girls he’d *****.

it's empty in the valley of your heart {the cave - mumford & sons}
breathing in snowflakes {the a team - ed sheeran}
standing in the dark {standing in the dark - lawson}
on the corner of first and amistad {you found me - the fray}
fading out the light softly saying {shuffle - bombay bicycle club}
life's too short to even care at all {cough syrup - young the giant}
i miss our little talks {little talks - of monsters and men}
now i'm driving round on the boulevard {swim good - frank ocean}
chasing after gold mines crossing the fire lines {between the raindrops - lifehouse}
trying to erase the memory of your face {warzone - the wanted}
but on a wednesday in a cafe i watched it begin again {begin again - taylor swift}
there's nowhere we can hide {demons - imagine dragons}
i'll build you shelter out of the rain {shelter - hedley}
and i will try to fix you {fix you - coldplay}
as long as you love me {as long as you love me - justin bieber}
even if you said i was wrong {perfect - hedley}
one minute i held the key next the walls were closed on me {viva la vida - coldplay}
london calls me a stranger {the city - ed sheeran}
but my shadow days are over {shadow days - john mayer}
nothing's fine i'm torn {torn - natalie imbruglia}
you're no good for me but i want you {diet mountain dew - lana del rey}
you make me feel like i'm intoxicated {intoxicated - the cab}
off last night's whiskey and coke {cold coffee - ed sheeeran}
is there something to believe in {makes me wonder - maroon 5}
i'm lost in the heat of it all {lost - frank ocean}
say what you need to say {say - john mayer}
i'm just waiting for the moment to arrive {gold rush - edd sheeran}
like ships in the night passing me by {ships in the night - mat kearney}
mirror on the wall here we are again {mirror - lil wayne}
but i'm not afraid {not afraid - eminem}
in your eyes i have seen all the feeling and the rain {venice - the lighthouse and the whaler}
you ran away in your sleep {paradise - coldplay}
but i won't give up on us {i won't give up - jason mraz}
like the colors in autumn so bright {red - taylor swift}
i loved you first {loved you first - one direction}
the lingering question kept me up {enchanted - taylor swift}
will your mouth read this truth {little bird - ed sheeran}
i've been loving you for quite some time {stay stay stay - taylor swift}
there's things you need to hear {the heart of life - john mayer}
you don't know how lovely you are {the scientist - coldplay}
i'm in love with you and all your little things {little things - one direction}
i belong with you  {** hey - the lumineers}
you belong with me {you belong with me - taylor swift}
i'm lucky i'm in love with my best friend {lucky - jason mraz feat. colbie caillat}

Part One

A man left a prison this morning
he'd been there the last fifteen years
when he walked down the mean streets of Jesup
he'd resurrect all of their fears.

He was a man, no different to others
though he kept himself to his peace
but the anger all stored up inside him
was destined for violent release.

A young girl had been murdered in Jessup
and he'd been a stranger in town
they said that he'd beaten and stabbed her
he hadn't, but they still sent him down.

His first thoughts were for retribution
he'd beat them and they'd feel the pain
like he felt when they kicked him in prison
again...and again...and again.

Now he travelled to seek not just vengeance
he needed to get back his name
so someone was going to suffer
and others would pay for his shame.

He'd walked out of prison in Jackson
and boarded a train to Mobile
By Greyhound he reached Pensacola
where he rested and took time to heal.

Part Two

In Jesup he woke with a headache
to the loud urgent ring of the phone
he remembered that night and that poor girl
and he let out a long quiet moan.

It was Hedley the new County Sheriff
he said for the man to go down
he could call at his office in Jesup
or pack up his things and leave town.

Such a bright sunny day as he stepped out
not one single cloud in the sky
a gunshot and a burning sensation
The man fell and knew he would die.

To Hedley the man was real guilty
keeping peace meant he wanted him out
he thought back to the slaying that morning
the dead man's last words cried like a shout.

A young man had rushed up to help him
there was nothing to do he could see
but as he died the man whispered something
"Tell the Sheriff son, it never was me."

A young had suffered so many year before
and the case had been closed a long time
but the wrong man had gone into prison
or his death had no reason or rhyme.

The girl needed justice as the man did
Sheriff Hedley would never be the same
for he promised the girl and the dead man
he'd catch her killer and clear the man's name.

Epilogue

A bullet was found by the dead girl
a matched one lodged in the man's heart
the second one carried a thumb print
for the Sheriff, a good place to start.

©Joe Wilson - Where was the justice then...2014 (re-shod from 1992)

I guess this is as real as it gets.
I stared at this blank page for a while trying to figure out how I wanted to express myself to you.
The easiest way to get my thoughts flowing was playing that Hedley song you once sang to me while we layed together on the black couch in my living room.
That couch isnt there anymore. Neither are you.
But it's that moment sits in my mind as though someone etched it there permanently and I can time travel back to that moment as soon as I hear the piano playing.
I remember how funny it was that you couldn't sing. But at the same time it was amazing that you remembered every lyric to that song and looked me in the eyes as if you meant every single word.
Ironic isn't it how it had to do with not letting me go.
Ironic that even if it sounded crazy, you were gone 2 months later.
I guess I should of seen your lose grip on my hands as a warning sign that you weren't staying,
I wasn't enough to make you stay and I guess that's why 6 months later I still lay in bed blaming myself.
They say if you love someone let them go and that seems like the most rediculous thing to me because I loved you more than I've ever loved anyone and watching you leave was just as hard as standing unarmed in the middle of a shooting range.
As pathetic as it is, I just want you to know. I want you to know how much I hate you for hurting me the way you did.
I hate you for consuming my thoughts everyday. I hate you for thinking its okay to make me fall so deeply and just leave as though I was nothing; as though we were nothing.
Ending a poem is probably the hardest part. I don't know how I want to leave you feeling.
I'll just say this; if love is what we had, then I want nothing to do with it because someone that loves you shouldn't be able to leave you feeling torn in the middle of the night, they shouldn't leave you wondering what they did wrong in order to not be enough for you. I shouldn't feel like love is something that isn't meant for me, and that's how I feel every ******* day.