Caution
Andy Jackson

You do not have to say anything
but it may harm your defence
if you do not mention, when questioned,
something which you later rely on
in court. Anything you do say
may be given in evidence.
Do you understand?

You do not have to answer anything.
If you understand the harm
of what you say, do not rely on courts
or evidence to defend you later.
When questioned, do not mention
anything, do not say anything.
Do you understand?

Question anything you do not understand,
but do not court their questions.
Understand that they do not
rely on evidence for their defence.
Anything that harms them
can also be used against you.
Do you understand?

You have the right to remain silent
and, when there is only silence,
you will remain.

Andy Jackson is from Salford but now lives in Fife, Scotland. His poetry collection The Assassination Museum was published by Red Squirrel Press in 2010, and he is editor of several anthologies including Whaleback City: the poetry of Dundee and its hinterland. His poem about socialist firebrand Jennie Lee won first prize at the National Galleries of Scotland poetry competition in 2008.

Well Versed is edited by Jody Porter.
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