by Eddie Aderne

“Dead Arizona road rage victim addresses killer in court through AI:
Clip of Chris Pelkey, who died in 2021, says: ‘I believe in forgiveness’
after his sister fed an AI model videos of him”
—The Guardian

Not wishing to be bilious or ranty,
I’m not much pleased by how this ups the ante.
Pardon your burglar, cheating spouse, what will you;
But really, those who actually kill you?
You’re up there with the highest type of saint if
You’ll favor the defense and not the plaintiff:
It’s only right, as such a noble specter,
That you should face a stringent lie-detector.
As for myself, though I applaud your charity,
I recognize hereby my own disparity:
Theft or adultery, I might ignore it;
But murder me, I won’t forgive you for it.