Lies

 
Lies

The sword of truth is sheathed. The darts of lies
Are now replaced by missiles, bombs and drones.
The cannons and the guns of lies remain
And carry on their lethal fusillades.
The arrows left, of truth, cannot prevail.

So day is turned to night and wrong to right.
And most of us, accustomed to this state,
Find truth unbearable, rejecting it
With laughter or with anger mixed with scorn.
So truth lies buried. We are ruled by lies.

****** 

But what indeed is truth, we ask ourselves,
In things beyond our reach to verify?
And why these martial metaphors, in what 
Is surely where dispassion is required?
And yet, can we dispense with sentiment? 

We need the knowledge and the courage, yes,
And all the wit that we can draw upon.
But all of that, without the wisdom born
Of sight—including that of head and heart—
Will lead to choosing sides—of what is one. 

****** 

To choose a side is natural, it seems,
And seeing things in black and white provides 
A means to clear confusion and to act.
And yet the world has many shades of gray
And all the hues that brighten all our lives.

And so, reduction might be useful, while
Denuding all, deluding sight and sense.
We rarely can behold the truth in full,
And yet we always need to strive for this, 
Embracing pain to view the “other side”.
 
2023 October 15, Sun.
Berkeley, California