INHERENT POWER. An authority possessed without its being derived from another. It is a right, ability or faculty of doing a thing, without receiving that right, ability or faculty from another. (A Law Dictionary, Adapted to the Constitution and Laws of the United States. By John Bouvier. Published 1856.)

A court should
use inherent power
cautiously, responsibly,
when justice requires —
a trump card, a lifeboat
to reach right results,
an equalizer.

I come powerless, out of control,
without recourse or hope
and find a Power, yield,
cradled and comforted
as fears assail. I’m led
gently, Step by Step
to sanity, to peace, to joy.
As I grasp who’s in charge
and my own place,
suddenly I find power in me —
inherent power to use
cautiously, responsibly,
when justice requires,
when I ask to understand
my role and for power
to carry that out.