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COP SHOWS
What's with all those cop shows gleaming off our tubes
handcuffed eyes and minds sequestered
in phosphorescent tombs where people of color
are used as stereotypical backdrops and even when they star
they're cast as one dimensional stale cookie cutter characters
Cop shows where Miranda is just another Spic name
where justice is caught tampering
with the evidence and jury duty
becomes a casting call for wannabe celebrities
I ask you, what's with all those cop shows transmitting
into our living rooms where couch potatoes
are mistaken for death row inmates waiting their turn
in front of the family nielson parole board while hollywood
producers haggle over rights to turn tragedies
into trite popcorn movies of the week
When did we become deputized peeping
toms for big brother?
I spy on you and you spy on me
then we split the reward.
- Grace Beniquez