scratched out his last will
and testament, neighbor,
beneath the arc light
in the prison cell
where, if there is justice in the land, he will soon end his days.
he thanked his lawyer
and
he thanked his friends
and
he promised to contact them
when he entered the afterlife.
but neighbor, his friends will be waiting
a long time to hear from him. there are plenty
taking that slippery path from chicago to hell.
but there are none,
neighbor,
there are no souls who upon reaching the flaming inferno
make the return trip from the devil’s clutches
back up
to
chicago.