Pause for poetry:
Michael Hawkes /19

Instructions to a Police Cadet

A poem by Michael Hawkes

You’re paid to don this padded suit
this helmet and this mask,
then take this baton, shield and mace
and apply them in your task.

There’s your neighbour’s daughter
and another neighbour’s son,
your job is now to beat them down
until the clean-up’s done.

You can smash her pretty face,
you can kick him in the guts,
you must give them all you’ve got
without the ifs and buts.

Toss your hand grenades of gas,
spray them with your mace,
don’t let any of them pass
or you’ll have the chief to face.

When the avenue is cleared
and you’ve earned your daily pay
you may go home to your kids
to relax a bit and play.

13/10/20 – Hawkes

Feature image: 2C2K Photography via StockPholio.net

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Michael Hawkes - WestmountMag.ca

Michael Hawkes was a cherished poet and contributor whose work enriched the pages of WestmountMag.ca with its sensitivity and depth. Over the years, he entrusted us with a rich body of poems, of which only a portion has yet been published. His passing leaves a profound void, but the poems still to come will continue inspire all who were moved by his voice.