On the day a criminal decides
he is smarter than the police,
he moves that much closer
to the moment of his capture.
It takes an amazing amount of cunning
to master crime. Live in best hotels. Buy
diamonds with cash from Cartier’s when I
want to sell a hot one. Women are stools,
dogs love the taste and smell of cinnamon.
Make sure it is same cut and purity.
Believe opposite of what people say,
leave phoney overcoat button at scene.
I wonder a good deal about whether
I’m crazy or not. Solid gold armor.
Use sneeze powder to foil capture,
sold in novelty stores. Rich people live
on Number Ten Hill in Baltimore;
go down through roof or up through floor.
(From 1950’s Iowa burglar Michael Sutton’s notebook)
Verbatim Poetry 