Safe-Keeping

Marsha Mathews

 

Lafayette, Georgia

 

The sale of old criminal evidence

in Saturday night’s auction

did not compromise any cases,

the sheriff said. “All a big snafu.”

 

A gun

and five sexual assault kits

were buried in one of the boxes

sold to the highest bidder

who thought he bought

desk lamps and a fog horn.

Brought the box back

to the station

Monday morning.

 

The sheriff said, “See,

no harm done.”

 

 

 

***

Marsha Mathews is an American poet and Professor Emerita, Dalton State College. During the 1990s, Marsha served as an Ordained Minister in the United Methodist Church. Her poems have appeared in Appalachian Heritage, The Fourth River: Best Writings of the Decade; Delmarva Review; Gargoyle; Raleigh Review; War, Literature & the Arts; and many other fine journals. Mathews has four chapbooks, most recently Growing Up with Pigtails (Aldrich, 2016), winner of the Georgia Author of the Year Award. Her first full collection of poetry, BEAUTY BOUND, explores human extremes to attain attractiveness. She welcomes you to her author’s page http://mainstreetragbookstore.com/product/beauty-bound-marsha-mathews/