I just need to rant about our Canadian justice system. Over the last month 3 women and 4 children have died in murder suicides. All three women had restraining orders against the men. The men where convicted of assault and abuse, but our wonderful system set them free with a piece of paper that told them to stay away from their ex. These orders could not protect these women or their children and it makes me mad. Here is a poem I wrote regarding this.


~~A LITTLE PIECE OF PAPER~~

A little piece of paper
what protection can it bring?
From a man who thinks he owns you
because you used to wear his ring.

What kind of society do we live in?
What fools we must be.
To hand a man a piece of paper,
then play a game of wait and see.

When do we take action
and lock the man away?
Do we wait until he kills her,
is that the price she has to pay?

And what about the children
who hide away in fear?
Can’t we stop this madness,
how many more will die this year?

I don’t have the answers,
and I’m not sure I ever will.
On how to stop a madman
when he’s decided he must kill.

A man so filled with obsession
A man so filled with hate
What can we do stop it
before it becomes to late.

How can we protect a woman
from a man willing to sacrifice his life
to exact some kind of vengeance
on a woman who once was his wife?

I know we have to stop it
and a piece of paper will not do
It’s up to society to find and answer
and it’s up to me and you?

Christine Nayler
July 2000

Back to (r)evolution!          site map          home