Justice Effigy
Deanna Be
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Older statues of Lady Justice depict her
without a blindfold. Originally,
the blindfold was satire,
portraying Justice blind to inequities
before her. Her eyes were bound in irony.
Alas sarcasm, so frequently a refuge,
fails to hold its shape and changes
at the whim of the beholder.
Lady Justice with her eyes bound
is now the impartial madam–
unmoved by wealth, power, and status. Yet,
who gains the most from dulling her senses?
Can our blind, impartial Lady hear
the screams and drones of airstrikes?
As the sole diviner of Our Moral Compass,
must she look away?
Would she speak for us now
that our voices fail to carry?
Since, at birth, she possessed sight
if Lady Justice saw us now,
would her eyes stay fixed
in horror?
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Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, Deanna Be is a writer inspired by her study of psychology, the dynamics of self and others, the elegance of nature, and the exploration of non-religious spirituality. In 2025, she began her first ventures into submitting her poetry for publication.
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Posted in Black History Month and tagged in #boudin, #poetry, Poetry