The poem in the letter written to the public defender by Rolene is taken from the poem known as "Tichborne's Elegy." Chidiock Tichborne took part in the 1586 Babington plot to murder Queen Elizabeth and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots. Tichborne wrote the poem to his wife when he was in the Tower of London awaiting execution. The lines in the letter are taken from the second stanza of Tichborne's 3-stanza poem.