‘My Inner Attorney’: A Poem by Warren Bonham

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My Inner Attorney

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in
heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your
name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never
knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” —Matthew 7:21-23

Like most, I strode upon a road
__that wasn’t very narrow.
And when I’d fall, I’d always call
__my inner Clarence Darrow

I have to say, I’d often stray
__and sometimes did so daily.
When things looked bad, I also had
__my inner F. Lee Bailey

In no time flat, they’d come to chat
__and start their preparation.
They’d listen to what I’d been through
__to ready their oration.

They ordered me, “Sit silently”,
__while they did all the talking.
My legal team could make it seem
__I’d only been jaywalking.

I’d smugly sit, so fortunate,
__I was well represented.
All of my lies and alibis
__were perfectly presented.

They’ve not yet lost, each case got tossed
__without adjudication.
When they were through, I’d head back to
__my highway to damnation.

But now I wait at Heaven’s Gate,
__which looks to be quite narrow.
I wait to hear, but won’t, I fear
__from Bailey or from Darrow.

I start to speak, my voice sounds weak,
__“I’d like to come unto you.”
But then I hear the words I fear,
__“Depart, I never knew you.”

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Poet’s Note: Many individuals appear on any list of the greatest criminal defense attorneys of all time, but two that are named consistently are Clarence Darrow and F. Lee Bailey. Darrow is perhaps best known for his involvement in the Scopes Monkey Trial in 1925 which challenged the teaching of evolutionary theory in the school system. Bailey was more contemporary and had many famous clients including O.J. Simpson and Patty Hearst.

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Warren Bonham is a private equity investor who lives in Southlake, Texas.