Different Slants

Comment by Don Larson

February 26, 2011 @ 12:51 pm

Thank you, Bob.

It’s not easy to get out of Chicago ticket.

Don

Comment by Ami

February 26, 2011 @ 4:04 pm

I can feel the heat, humid sweaty air, reading those lines, even though it’s fuckin freezin outside. That’s the value of good poetry. Atmosphere.

But since we’re dealin with daily life here, next time I will do the same, I’ll admit anything the cop says. Maybe he’ll let me go.

Thanks, Bob.

Comment by anna kong

February 26, 2011 @ 8:53 pm

Nothing beats honesty. One of my fellow teachers would often say to the kids, “the truth will set you free.”

The cops have a soft spot for teachers. I’ve been lucky a few times when I got stopped. Luckily, I don’t get pulled over too often. Although I prefer a cop over those cameras – don’t even get a chance to talk yourself out of a ticket.

I heard once that if a person wants to be a liar he better have a good memory to keep his story straight. Less work if you tell the truth. I agree.

Comment by Bob

February 27, 2011 @ 12:26 pm

Anna, the truth can also get you locked up.

Seriously,in my lifetime association with cops as neighbors, protectors, friends, brutal assailants and at least once, life savers, what I’ve learned is:Don’t question their authority. They want distance and respect. They want appreciation, but rarely get it.

Many police feel they put their life on the line on a daily basis protecting a mostly ungrateful citizenry whom they know dismisses many of them as lazy and corrupt.

I am not one of those people.

There’s often a simmering antagonism just below their civility during an encounter with a rulebreaking person. Their unspoken attitude is generally,

“Hey, please don’t make this incredibly boring job of writing you a traffic ticket any more annoying than it already is.”

The cops who cut you a break are the ones who are lied to so endlessly, they have trouble processing a person who voluntarily admits guilt.

Doesn’t make them wonderful or you an angel. Its just unexpected and ultimately…appreciated.

There’s a lot I don’t know. But I do know this. Be straight with a cop over minor infractions and the whole process speeds up. Being polite, as my father taught me, is the social lubricant that makes life possible.

I find that to be true every day, everywhere.

I’m a liberal democrat, but for me, the cops are a separate issue. Its always been that way.

Comment by J Steve Adler

February 28, 2011 @ 9:08 pm

I told you several times that you have ‘talent’.

Not only for writing, but also for dealing with difficult situations.
Keep up the good works and stay well.
Steve

Comment by Kimberly Powitz

March 21, 2011 @ 7:54 am

Wonderful Poem. Thanks for letting me have the chance to read it.

Comment by New Man from New Ark

January 17, 2014 @ 10:18 pm

I remember you reading this poem…at the Cafe, maybe…somewhere…coolass piece of work, Amigo

Comment by Elaine

January 18, 2014 @ 8:43 pm

I can relate, Bob. You happened to meet an honest cop, and he happened to meet you on that particular day. He made your day, and you made his by reinforcing his belief in himself and his daily work of protecting and serving what he believes in–truth, honesty, and the type of society those persons of truth and honesty produce.