Somewhere
Harvey Weinstein is rotting
in a cell, feeling sorry
for himself and blaming women
for all the trouble
his pecker and pride has caused.
Epstein’s dead and rotting too.
But what about the movie stars
and mega-rich who keep making
films and money, who knew cats
were being kept in gilded cages
and tortured for their skin—
this fraternity of bystanders,
the Cains who insist they are not
their brother’s keeper.

What about David, the Israelite
King, who commanded Tamar
cook food for her brother
and feed him when he was sick
with lust, and then did nothing
for his daughter after Amnon
raped her? Looking the other way
is as old as sin. Just ask Jacob
what he did to defend Dinah.

But somewhere there’s a brother
who will not forget his sister,
will not keep quiet. He’ll promise
that dog Shechem his sister’s hand
if the entire pack of curs convert,
wait until their pecker’s sore
from circumcision, then
slaughter them all one by one.
Or he’ll invite all the king’s sons
to a sheep-shearing party, get ’em drunk
on box wine, find Amnon the rapist
and run him through with a sword.