‘Bad Apples’

“One Bad apple” is what they say
Explaining when cops go astray
But now a better line might be
“Be careful where you plant the tree”

Like many men who join the force
They choose a military course
Of war beneath the desert sun
Before they earn a policeman’s gun

Most cops are filled with civic pride
But some have demons deep inside
Grim flashbacks to hostile faces
Battle scars from foreign places

Soldiers learn how to determine
Sunni’s from Shiites by their skin
But once back home they’re not allowed
To profile faces in a crowd

America, land of the free
Is filled with ambiguity
Let’s make sure racial killing stops
Our veterans should not be cops

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Read Peet Nourjian’s previous poems here.