Wild West

Wild West 8/20/11

Man wants parole.
It’s been six years
Since he chased my daughter upstairs,
And tried to smash the bathroom door down.

Man/boy pushed past my wife,
Before I ordered him to stop.
He fired a shot, I returned fire
Neither of us hitting more than a wall.

When he heard the siren
He tossed his gun over the railing.
It is six years since that day
When I learned my daughter was in trouble.

She’s clean now,
At least that’s what,
All the drug tests show.
I work at not trusting her.

Daughter, wife and I
Agreed to not oppose the parole.
He was only seventeen at the time
And his prison record is good.

One of the conditions of his release:
He must not come within one thousand feet
Of our home.
It’s a risk we may regret.

None of us is religious,
But we all share the guilt.
How could she have hooked up with that sick kid?
Where was I when my daughter was screwing up?