oh fucking hell...

i was on my way home from work this afternoon and half a block from my home i turned the corner at a stop sign, going down a hill...two motorcycle cops were riding side by side...they had their lights on and yelled at me to stop...there was a long line of cars behind them...i thought, oh crap, it must be a funeral procession...i pulled into my alley and parking spot...the motorcycle cops came speeding in from both sides of the alley...

i got out of the truck, "i'm sorry i didn't see the funeral procession down the hill until i turned the corner"...

they were both big guys...maybe in their forties...overweight and tall...with big round helmets...the bigger of the two said, "there was no funeral procession"...

i said, "oh"...thinking, uh oh...what do you want?...

"you ran that stop sign"...

"oh, i thought i stopped"...

"you didn't come to a complete stop, you just rolled through"...

"oh, i'm sorry, i didn't realize that...i didn't mean to do that, if i did"...

i could hear the anger in their voices, they were really pissed and mean to me for some reason...i couldn't figure it out...okay, i ran a stop sign, why are you harassing me like this...i mean they kept talking to me, standing on either side of me...like they were about to tackle me or something...i mean they were being really overbearing...

"let me see you driver's license"...

"um, it's in the house...my boss doesn't let me wear my chain wallet at work...i can get it for you"...

"no, just tell me your name"...

i did everything they asked and was very polite...

the bigger one started writing tickets...one hundred and fifty dollars for running the stop sign...twenty-five dollars for not wearing my seat belt...twenty-five dollars for not having my driver's license in my possession...you have twenty-one days to pay these...

they called my name in on the radio to check for warrants...

i looked down at their tall, polished, black leather boots...their neat, flamboyant uniforms...reminding me of nazis...

their computer was down at the station...we waited for a long time to hear back on whether or not i have warrants...they asked me if i had any and i said no...

i started to tremble a bit...i hope i don't have warrants...i can't think of any reason why i would...but in the passed few years every time i come in to contact with police, they've taken me to jail...

i'm looking at their sunglasses, thinking, why are you being such pricks to me?...talking down to me?...what gives you the right?...what gives you the right to have any authority over me?...were you born with it?...is it a god given right?...this world is as much mine as yours...you shouldn't have the right to tell me what to do...

"can i smoke a cigarette?"...i figured i better have once last smoke before they take me to jail...

"sure"...

finally..."looks like you get a freebie...the computers are done...you're free to go"...

a freebie?...that's kind of like an assumption that i'm guilty of something and getting away with it...

"okay..."...i turn to walk into my apartment...

they get on their bikes to ride away...

"wait"...they both stop, listeing to their head gear radios...

fuck...here we go...back to jail...

"okay...you're all clear...have a nice day"...

"uh, yeah, you too"...