Dream of the Rap Star Murder Case

AI-generated Ice Cube but not Ice Cube

I’m pals with a rap star
(someone like Ice Cube
but not Ice Cube)

who’s accused of murder.
He’s been acquitted,
or the charges have been

dropped, but he seems
to be guilty. The question
of his guilt or innocence

seems to hinge on a crude
wire bracelet or ring he wears,
fashioned from the innards

of a broken electronic device
or something like that.
At some point, well into

the intense narrative,
I take a pair of needle-
nose pliers and proceed

to gradually bend and break
the wires and remove
the crudely fashioned piece

of jewelry from his hand.
His other friends are alarmed
and he raises his eyebrows

but allows me to do it. It’s unclear 
whether I’m revealing his guilt
or proving his innocence.