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The Screw Tightens on Roman Polanski

NEWS ITEM: Famed filmmaker Roman Polanski pleaded guilty, 31 years ago, to unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl. He then fled the country to avoid punishment. Today, at the age of 76, he is being detained by Swiss authorities, at the request of U.S. officials seeking his extradition.


Polanski has a roamin’ eye,
(Or is it “Roman”?) What a guy!
The lass involved was never mugged
(He claims) — but just a little drugged.
The now-forbidden drug, Quaalude,
Eased Roman’s path to actions lewd.

He fled abroad his life to live,
From U.S. law a fugitive.
Arrested now in Switzerland,
He faces stringent reprimand.
Today he voices deep lament,
Resisting delayed punishment.

There looms an ugly legal fight
As U.S. seeks to extradite.
His lawyers fume and rail and shout
He didn’t mean the law to flout.
He’s made some classic movies since:
Atonement for his erstwhile sins?

In Hollywood his friends suggest
The matter should be laid to rest.
Will Roman’s case, then, be dismissed?
Will he get slapped upon the wrist?
Perhaps his punishment should start
With quite another body part.

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