A short piece from the SHareCon 2002 Zine.

Cop on the Take
Author Unknown
Adapted by Lucy
First he takes the oath. Now look at all he takes:
He takes it in stride when people call him pig.
He takes his lousy paycheck realizing he’ll never be rich.
He takes a second job sometimes to make ends meet and support his family.
He takes time to stop and talk to children.
He takes your verbal abuse while giving you a ticket you really deserved.
He takes on creeps that you would be afraid to even look at.
He takes time away from his family to keep you safe.
He takes your injured child to the hospital.
He takes the graveyard shift without complaint because it’s his turn.
He takes his life into his hands daily.
He takes you home when your car breaks down.
He takes time to explain why both your headlights have to work.
He takes the job no one else wants-telling you a loved one has died.
He takes criminals to jail.
He takes in sights that would make you cry. Sometimes he cries, too but
He takes it anyway because someone has to. If he’s lucky,
He takes retirement.
He takes memories to bed at night that you couldn’t bear for even one day.
He takes time to explain to his family why he can’t make the ballgame his child is in.
He takes the look on his children’s faces when he works the holiday and other parents are off.
Sometimes he takes…a bullet.
The other stories in the SHareCon 2002 Zine are available through its Table of Contents, available on the archive.
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