Playing the Odds

We hold it to be

a most noble truth,

a cornerstone

of our system of justice.

But, in the wake

of the stunning revelations

of the last two years,

the emergence

of the #MeToo movement,

and the shocking reactions

to the testimony

from the confirmation hearings

for Brett Kavanaugh's nomination

for the Supreme Court,

one has to ask

where is the line drawn?

How far do we go

in our presumption

of innocence?

What is the point

where such presumption

becomes prejudicial?

Where it, indeed,

becomes an injustice,

a slap of disdain,

of condescension

towards the trauma suffered

by the accuser?

How do we embrace

the idealism

that once gave birth

to our system of justice,

while respecting

the pain of the victim?

Both are equally important.