Pack Rats

Illustration by Bob AulYou came by my boyfriend's sober living home one afternoon and ransacked his place and another resident's! In his closet were four bags of mine with female belongings inside. Just because you are probation officers, you took it upon yourselves to take my red backpack that was full of my very personal photographs, magazines and miscellaneous stuff. But here's where it gets better: You took property that clearly belonged to me, with my name everywhere inside it, and I'M NOT on parole or probation! So where the hell are my rights as a tax-paying citizen? You didn't even leave a receipt for the things you took! Yes, my boyfriend is on both parole and probation, but that doesn't give you the right to take someone else's belongings, especially when [that someone] wasn't even there. How chicken shit! And all because I had a few booking numbers and phone numbers you wanted, and personal letters from my ex-, who's in prison! So fucking what! Isn't this a free America? Who gave you the right to dictate whether I can or can't exercise my rights to write anyone I damn well please? The fact that you are a gang task force doesn't mean shit to me. I've done nothing wrong!