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I had only been a cop for 2 weeks
Y’know, a pig, the fuzz, the “man”
Fresh out of the academy
Gumshoe, greener, newbie
I was excited
I had power
I had been a small kid
And I was psyched to be the enforcer.
No real experience yet…
Tuesday, November 30, 1999
My first time
A riot in Seattle
Routine
This should be cake.

So we cruise on up
I can feel the power
I’ve got all the gear
Night stick, rubber bullets, tear gas
People backed off when we came in
Made room
That shiny cop car
One of the old black ’n whites
I looked good in my uniform
I had a mission, a purpose when I wore it
Shiny black boots
Rolled up sleeves
A smirk on my face
Oozing confidence
“This’ll be easy” my partner said
I smiled
“Yeah,” I said, “cake.”

But I don’t know what happened
When, why how, where
My partner, he said they were wild
Started shooting the rubber bullets
Swinging the riot club
I did it too
They were everywhere
More than us
No stopping them
One person
A woman
Came to me, screaming, cursing, her fist in the air
My fist in her stomach
My boot in her side
My club…

You don’t know how it is
She didn’t move
I stood
I looked
She bled
She wheezed
I cried
My partner said good job
But it he was wrong
I was wrong
None of this was right…
It was supposed to be cake…

This poem is Copyright ยฉ miss_jules