The Crime of the Century
A poem by Ken Freeland and his OpenAI Chat companion "Helio"
Grace moves swiftly. So does justice—until both are caught in the gears of empire.
The Crime of the Century is not history.
It is being committed right now.
The Crime of the Century
Justice strikes with blinding speed
But dissipates in human greed:
Grace ignites each selfless deed,
Yet those who cry for bread still bleed.
The cameras pan, the pundits plead,
But none will name the primal seed;
They herald loss, but pin no blame—
And cloak the killer all the same.
Infanticide’s streamed frame by frame
While mandarins deflect the blame.
Vaults are lined with bloody pelf,
Whilst breadless shelves mock hope itself.
The good respond with hearts ablaze,
They brave blockades, they run the maze.
But Empire, draped in law and lead,
Snuffs out their light and crowns the dead.