illustration: GUARDIAN from The Saint Series

JUDGMENT Beneath the tearless gaze of your eyes I am a man cast up from the salty womb of the sea to rape and conquer the land with my greedy fingers and my tools of war and destruction Here I stand before you in my naked image stripped of my skin and excuses like a seed cut from its summer overcoat to stand trial for the many injustices committed to my fellow man My once perfect body lies exhausted in the ball of dirt far below me worn out and broken from all the hatred and disease of living I am finally laid to rest awaiting the jury's return At long last the silence is broken and I am paroled to the sea denied and humiliated once again I swim for shore.