The Criminal They'd come to see the famous criminal, Who'd claimed so many lives and would claim more -- To glimpse his torrid mind subliminal, And stare into his dark soul's dismal core. They'd packed the public pews in quiet awe. Few churches had seen crowds much more intense. Good Christians who had come to hear 'the Law' Condemn a man to death with its sentence. While lawyers on both sides debate with Fate, He was the one who made the gavel fall. The man who entertained the mob's rank hate -- The Maker of the last and Final Call. So they were hush as he approached the bench, "All rise [click heels] for the Honorable Judge Lynch!" Copyright 2021 Bernard A. Quarterman, Jr.