Vocabulary words

Accouterments – accessories, paraphernalia

Thoth – the Egyptian moon deity with the head of an ibis, god of wisdom
Justitia – the woman in the Philippine justice symbol
Chief Magistrate – chief judge
Derision – the act of deriding or treating with contempt or mock, ridicule
Culpability – a state of guilt

Justice By Ralph Galan

These are the accoutrements of her office Is this Philippine Justice? The figure
The blindfold symbolizing impartiality; Of the Roman goddess Justitia slowly fades
A golden pair of scales measuring the validity Into thin air, swallowed by pigments

Of evidence given, both pro and con;
The double edged sword that pierces through
The thick fabric of lies; thot’s feather
Of truth which ultimately determines whether
The defendants life is worth saving.
In J. Elizalde Navarro’s oil painting titled
Cloud as doubts. In my uncertain country
Where right and wrong are cards
That can be shuffled like a pile of money bills,
Even the land’s chief magistrate
Is not immune from culpability; found guilty
He has to face the music of
derision.