Justice, A Blind

MAYBE THERE WAS JUSTICE OR IT NEVER EXISTED. The poem justice, a blind dwells on the injustice partiality, and other related social imbalances that ravage our contemporary society especially Nigeria and the rest of African nations.

1.     Amongst the jury, the 
      blindfold discarded and 
      sees beyond measure
      the white the black.
      White merit for the affluent
     black credit for the penniless.

2.    Law sees while justice is 
      blind,
      oh then won't prison the 
      chamber of innocence be?

3.    She holds a sword of double  
      edges,
      a serrate edge and a blunt 
      edge.
      Serrated edge for the skins 
      of the common bruised
      the blunt edge
      the back of elites flings.  
 
4.    A scale aimed to weigh evil 
      and good
      is the scale turned to weigh
      penny and pounds,    
      to whom the scale decides 
      owns the justice.  
   
5.     Like the white coat of a jury 
      slides in his black slacks  
      a garment of black still at a 
      cover of his white coat
      so is the helpless state of  
      the common.

6.    The black slacks tightly 
      holding the white coat that 
      furious breeze
      won't uncover his shame
      and the black garment to 
      shade the white from stain 
      and impurity.
        
7.     Black most destitute denote
      penury,
      white most exceptional 
      connote affluence. 
      
8.    The blind never led the blind 
      oh then they lead the 
      eyeshot?  
    
9.     Unblind this fellow since   
       in blindfold she sees   
       unarm her and bring 
       guilty to the court to be  
       tried again
       and see if he won't prevail.      
             THEME
This poem is a reflection in poetic form on the injustice and judicial partiality in our contemporary society. It is a satire poem which uses allusion to convey its message to the reader with reference to the statue of Justice under wise known as the statue of lady justice.
The goddess justitia (lady justice) is a statue very phenomenal in the legal system representing equal right and justice, almost found in every law firm and enterprise around the world. The statue is blindfolded, holds a sword in one hand and in the other hand a balance illustrating fairness, impartiality and enforcement in the judicial process. Distinctly, the balance illustrates fairness in the judicial process, the sword illustrates enforcement, respect, authority, and the power to define punishment for the law offender while the blindfold depicts impartiality, equality and probity. It is an ideal that justice should be applied without regard to wealth, power and other status
The poem being a satire poem tries to condemn partiality, favoritism, racism, etc. going in the judicial system that the law court is no longer the last hope of the common man. The blindfolded which shouldn't see to differentiate the White from The Black Is now vividly seeing and can tell which is white and black thus:" the blindfold discarded and sees beyond measure, the White and the Black..."
the poem also entails how these law apparatus such as the sword and the scale of justice has been used one-sidedly, biasedly, and abusively in the favor of the few and at the detriment of the rest. The poem has it in this way thus: "...a scale aimed to weigh evil and good is a scale turned to weigh penny and pounds..." 
the poem not only condemning and criticizing these social and judicial shortcomings it rather at the last stanza tries to avow solution to this lingering judicial or legal quandary. When it writes: " unblind this fellow since in blindfold she sees unarm her and bring guilty to the court to be tried again ..."
          ANALYSIS
The writer of the poem enjoyed poetic license in the writing making it a bit complex for clearer appreciation and understanding. For the writer to candidly pen down his thought enjambment became inevitable. In that, one can say the poem is written in run off lines. For a clear understanding, the writer on his own has in stanza to stanza break down the poem.
The stanza one of the poem is the projection of injustice, partiality, and inequality in the judicial process here the law which supposed to be blind is not blind instead it sees clearly and can determine and differentiate the White color from the black color which in the context connote the poor and the rich thus: 
 " white merit for the affluent, black credit for the penniless" stanza two being short and witty Conveys a great message that the law which supposed to be blind is apparently seeing and then Justice that should be visible and clear is blank, reverse being the case. It went further to quote that: "oh then won't prison the chamber of guilty be?"  
implying that: in the absence of fairness, equality, impartiality and the law determining the wealthy and the poor and according verdict in regard to this status it thereby makes prison and other forms of punishment open for the innocent and the guiltless.
Stanza three is the depiction and allusion of the statue of Lady Justice. The "she" in the first line of the stanza refers to the statue of lady Justice holding a sword and in the other hand a balance, these are devices which illustrates awesome meaning in the legal system. The balance connotes fairness in determining the wrong and the right, the sword connoting implementation and punishment of the law offender. The interest of the stanza is how this sword is applied during court interlocutory and decision over a case. When a low class or a common commits a crime similar to a crime committed by a high class the sharp edge of the sword will be used against the common and the blunt age for the high class. The stanza encompasses on the rate of abnormalities in the legal system that punishment are different for the same crime when race, class and status are involved.
Stanza four almost carry the same message with standard three, the previous stanza used sword to tell her message while stanza four use a balance. The scale of justice as earlier said represent fairness in the legal system that no matter the class or status justice will be fair on the two parties, but the poem contradict it that Justice depends on the weight of your money; affluent people with more money stands the chance to win a case in the law court against one with little or no money even when the case should be in favor of the common. The poem convey this when it says: 
      "the scale turned to weigh
      penny and pounds,    
      to whom the scale decides 
      owns the justice."
stanza five use a jury dressing code to convey its message as black and white attire is common among legal practitioners. The poem also use these two colors to represent the poor and the rich. This dressing code portray operation and intimidation of the rich against the poor. Looking at a barrister outfit, the black which is always the trouser is beneath the white shirt signifying superiority of the rich over the poor. Not only that, the white shirt is always tucked into the black trouser indicating how the poor sustain the rich also a robe of black color still worn covering the white shirt.
The next stanza which is stanza six tries to give a comprehensive explanation of stanza five that the white shirt of the jury which is tucked into the black trouser is to hold the white shirt from being flown or fling by breeze. Interpreting it in the real sense it signifies how the poor is the sustenance of the rich. And in the second segment which is line five to line seven of the stanza talked about how the black garment of judges and other legal practitioners are won over their shirt. It literally implies that the black garment or robe is to protect and cover the White from being stained. Viewing it the other perspective is connoted how the rich use the poor to execute and cover their crime and also protect themselves against blackmail and slander from their counterparts.
Stanza seven as short as is it is an overtone of white and black frequently used in the poem. It emphasizes that white depicts the rich and black connotes the poor.
Stanza eight that seems to be continuation of stanza two is an illustration of the statue of lady justice which is blindfolded. If Justice and the law is claimed to be blindfolded while the people who interpret and execute this law is not blindfolded nor blind, so what is the essence of the law being blindfolded? It is a known fact that the blind cannot lead the blind so, impossible is it the blind leading people that have eyesight and if they eventually do catastrophe will be the result.
Stanza nine the last stanza tries to aver solution to this holistic challenge facing the judicial system when it opines thus:
       "Unblind this fellow since   
       in blindfold she sees,   
       unarm her..."
since justice is clear in sight even when blindfolded there is no need still keeping her in blindfold. The blindfold should be removed and let justice see clearly and with that it can differentiate between the wrong and the good. The stanza also suggest that the sword should the strip off from the law and justice and people that we were found guilty previously should be brought back to the court to be retried of the offense and see if they will still be guilty of the crime formally levelled against them with that justice will prevail and once again the Court will be the last hope of the common man.