do the crime, do the time

the milk remains spilled, the injury continues,
will the resentment that punishment breeds
make you, make me do what is desired?
is fear of force in the future
intended to be the desired motivator?
will it bring back the loss?
or is the future irrelevant?

is compensation beside the point?
Or does a sense of justice that evades me?
does the past demand independent compensation,
sending a criminal to the university of crime,
to learn how to do it better and not get caught?
i do not want to think it a version of revenge.

is it another deficiency in me
that I cannot understand?

i know. "an eye for an eye".
will my losing an eye help the victim?
will my losing an eye make the world a better place?
will the world be in greater harmony?
or will someone need to lead me around because I cannot see?

i am no jesus giving the other cheek
just searching for justice, for music
for beauty, for the morality
of improving or repairing the world.