The Trial Is Now upon Us; the Jury Is in the Hallway

The judge is at the bench.
Our fate is in their hands.
We love to set the scene.

We love it to be grand.
Let’s have human drama
And imagine the world

That’s not at all human
As human as we can.
Life can be the trial,

And an omnipotent
Deity can preside—
Serving jury duty,

Spirits or apostles,
Ancestors or angels—
Anything with voices,

Faces, and opinions
About wayward humans
And how to enforce laws.

We’ll pretend it’s this way,
Cosmos as assembly
Gathered to assess fates,

And when we see an end
Approaching yet again,
We’ll nod and we’ll murmur,

Lo, the trial is now
Upon us; the jury
Is shortly to confer.