Tue Feb 21st, 2017
Plato declares all poets are liars
because they use metaphors,
yet Plato himself employs
allegories and metaphors.
Businessmen boast of bs profits,
yet such exaggerations are not labeled lies.
Politicians make a living from lying,
yet conjuring fables is considered opinion
rather than outright corruption,
which they call “price of promotion.”
Our texts about the divine
are rooted in metaphors
and even unusual stories.
As a rule, poets lie least
because they have nothing to lose
except their reputation
or practical sense of fun.
And when soothing spring arrives
with scent of cherry blossom,
apple and pear blossom,
do these slick liars ever think
that history itself is a story
which will not survive
humankind’s demise?