Carl Sandburg’s “Lawyer” zooms in on the long, taut moment just before a jury returns a verdict. After weeks of testimony and legal conflict, the courtroom goes silent: thumbs stop moving, bailiffs chew tobacco, and the clock’s ticking becomes audible. The speaker treats the scene almost like a still photograph, catching how everyone is braced. Attention then shifts to the defense lawyer, who is already preparing a motion for a new trial if the word is “Guilty.” His readiness is described as soft-spoken but heavy with “bitter wrongs” and “monumental patience,” as if he carries the weight of an unjust world on his shoulders. The mood is suspended, weary, and quietly dramatic—less about guilt or innocence than about the human strain of waiting and the rituals surrounding a verdict.
Lawyer — Summary
When the jury files in to deliver a verdict after weeks of direct and cross examinations, hot clashes of lawyers and cool decisions of the judge,
There are points of high silence — twiddling of thumbs is at an end — bailiffs near cuspidors take fresh chews of tobacco and wait — and the clock has a chance for its ticking to be heard.
A lawyer for the defense clears his throat and holds himself ready if the word is " Guilty " to enter motion for a new trial, speaking in a soft voice, speaking in a voice slightly colored with bitter wrongs mingled with monumental patience, speaking with mythic Atlas shoulders of many preposterous, unjust circumstances.