Youths on the rampage,
Vicious and feral.
Dare to tackle?
At your peril.

Gangs ruling streets,
Squabbling over little,
Reducing communities,
To something brittle.

Bottles thrown,
No care for others.
Mindless vandalism,
By them and their “brothers”.

Kids getting knifed.
Police unable, unwilling,
Citing lack of resources,
To stop their killing.

Where are the parents?
Kids bringing up kids.
No respect for their elders,
Life on the skids.

Society’s broken.
Is there a fix?
Which doesn’t involve,
Faces smashed in with bricks.

No-go ghettos,
And now a dead cop,
Lawless enclaves,
When will it stop?

Don’t give them holidays,
Jail them for their crime.
Repeat offenders?
Treble their time!

Punish them properly.
Stop with the excuse.
That we need to be softer.
For therein lies abuse.

Bring back the stocks.
And make prisons tough.
A six by nine cell.
For enough is enough.

©Copyright – David E. Gates – 2019