Requiem For A Street Corner Revised

It happened on a street corner when many stood nearby,

But his falling now will haunt him,

Because it happened once before.

Perhaps, he did it once before,

so he could still deserve to die.

If he struggled with his demons and he failed least once or more,

And if he did it once in his life he might still deserve to die.

The past will be his judge and the jury at the trial,

For he did it once before so he must deserve to die.

No matter what the outcome or the malice that is showed,

If he did it once before,

And was weak as you and I,

If he did it once before,

Then he could still deserve to die.

The story he could tell is gone,

And buried where he lies,

It twill never reach the Light of Day,

But now it is enough to know that he did it once before,

So he could deserve to die.

And no matter what what we know today,

It might be just enough to know he fell down once before he died,

And if he failed to be upright,

He might still deserve to die.

-Albert Turner Goins