Wrong Man.

Wrong Man.

Wrong Man. They’ve got the wrong man. It’s what I keep telling them. I try to convince them that I didn’t do it. All the way to the end. 99 steps from here to the end of the block. Guard yells “Dead Man Walking” as I shuffle down the blood alley of death row. That final row of humanity before I’m sentenced to death.

Death. The chair. 2,450 volts of power surging through your bones. The pain that fills your entire being as the life is yanked from your struggling body. This isn’t the good ol days where they’d hang a man. Hooded. Face hidden from the shame of suffering. Eyes popping out from the lack of oxygen. Neck snapping. Nervous system convulsing while it shuts down with a screeching halt.

77 steps and counting. The cages rattle as I make my way toward the last seat I’ll ever take. An unjustified end for a man who never had an ounce of blood spilled by his hands. No blood on these hands. When I get to the gates to show them my hands they will be clean.

Once I had to witness a man in the chair. Ten of law enforcement’s best standing neck to neck as they witness the demise of a criminal. Aside from the judge and officials, inmates fill in the remaining chairs. Sadistic. Cruel. Barbaric. Unmasked death open to view. Two temporary stays of execution came and went while he sat in the hot seat. Waiting there for the final punishment.

Less than 50 steps left and I’m begging the Lord in heaven to spare my soul. One stay of execution. A moment to catch my breath and be thankful for what I have.

Hands strapped down. Legs pinned tight. Bit snug in your jaw. Head braced firmly. Movement suspended. Complete torture. Pain to the mind. Agony to the soul. The slim possibility of redemption before the switch comes down. The last phone call. When reprieve doesn’t come the only thing left to do is beg the almighty for a second chance. A chance that will never come.

Opportunity isn’t knocking and everything including you is going straight to hell. Winding up the last corner, 28 steps left. Soon I’ll be face to face with my maker.

With the abundance of electricity coursing through your veins all you can hope for is a swift end. But that won’t happen. First round of voltage attacks every inch of your flesh. Marrow rattles within your bones as the heat cooks your insides. Juices flow from every opening in the body as the energy obliterates life. Second round of voltage finishes of what remains alive. Annihilating. Round after round of electrifying power continues to consume until nothing is left. Sizzle of flesh leaves an unhealthy stench behind. Residue of life oozes from death. If that don’t cure your lust for death, nothing will.

The last steps of the final walk are behind me. Wrong man or not, there’s no convincing the others anymore. Only need to convince myself. No more than a few moments before life no longer animates this shell. I know that this is my final fate. Crimes of life punished. Settling into the chair of death, I understand the karma of my situation. Some part of my life must have deserved this end.

Wrong. We’ve all been wrong. Completely inappropriate. To the point of no consequence of others. Ever get something so incredibly wrong that you can’t take it back? Needless to say, somewhere I’m wrong and inappropriate. And you can’t take that stuff back. With the humblest apologies I shall continue. enjoy the story. kisses.  m.