Contrapasso

I have long wanted to create poetry based on Law & Order: SVU. I’ve dabbled a bit and started a few. This is the first one I have completed. The title of the poem and the episode are one and the same.

“Contrapasso” is a concept from Dante Alighieri’s Inferno. It is one of few rules from Hell. The gist is that the punishment must fit the crime. If you watch the episode (Season 19, Episode 3), you’ll quickly understand the logic behind using this as the title.

————

The hotel staff heard people screaming.

They went to room 240 and knocked.

No one came to the door to answer.

Civilians called police to the scene.

They went to room 240 and knocked–

There’d been screaming, now all was quiet.

Civilians called police to the scene.

Police knocked, then kicked the door open.

There’d been screaming, now all was quiet.

Guests had not wanted to get involved.

Police knocked, then kicked the door open;

They walked into a bloodcurdling scene.

Guests had not wanted to get involved–

Bystanders are rarely willing to.

Police entered a bloodcurdling scene,

Pools of blood saturated white sheets.

Bystanders are rarely willing to

Offer help for people they don’t know.

Pools of blood saturated white sheets,

A pound of flesh castrated neatly.

Did anyone help? They don’t really know.

Police reached out to special victims.

A pound of flesh castrated neatly–

An officer put it over ice.

Police reached out to special victims.

They assumed they’d want to get involved.

An officer put flesh over ice

To save it in case it was needed.

SVU wanted to get involved–

This was obviously a sex crime.

Flesh was saved in case it was needed.

It was in the ice bucket waiting.

This was obviously a sex crime.

Detectives asked why they were called here.

It was in the ice bucket waiting–

The testes of a man castrated.

Detectives asked why they were called here

Where there were no obvious victims.

The testes of a man castrated

Quickly put things into perspective.

Where there were no obvious victims,

Forensics gathered the evidence.

It quickly put things in perspective,

A discovery in a stairwell.

Forensics gathered the evidence:

A knife with Cheyenne printed on it,

A discovery in a stairwell,

A man found barely alive, breathing.

A knife with Cheyenne printed on it

Was recovered from the gruesome scene.

A man found barely alive, breathing

Was rushed to the closest hospital.

Everything recovered from the scene

Pointed to a personal motive.

At a nearby local hospital

Doctors told police the man would live.

Everything spoke personal motive.

There was no doubt in anyone’s mind.

Doctors told police the man would live

And need reconstructive surgery.

There was no doubt in anyone’s mind.

The hotel staff heard people screaming.

Something horrendous had happened but

No one came to the door to answer.

By Melissa Lemay

From: United States

Website: https://melissalemay.wordpress.com