The Prisoner’s Lament

They want me to be nonviolent,
And surround me with violence.

They want me to make better choices,
And remove all meaningful choice.

They want me to respect the law,
And entangle me in petty rules, arbitrarily enforced.

They want me to stop being hard,
And put me where only toughness is respected.

They want me to be responsible,
And take away all responsibility.

And then they blame ME if my behavior doesn’t change.
Effective correction is motivated by love, not fear.