Tuesday

POETRY: THE GREATEST LIE OF ALL?


    

Little drops of water splashed from the heavens,
Thumped my window in might.
My mind went on a quest;
A quest to find a lie,
The greatest of them all,       
Which mankind has ever managed to haul.

Is that when a poor man is denied justice,
By a lie from the dark powerful influence of money,
The greatest lie of all?
Is that when he cries in helplessness,
Due to a society ruled by sinister falsehood,
The greatest lie of all?

     

Is that when a patient is told a lie,
By the doctor who knows the truth,
In order to uplift his fallen morale and poise,
Before venturing into a deadly surgery,
The greatest lie of all?



Is that when a poor little son is pained by starvation,
Due to the hands without money of his mother,
Who asks him to eat food mixed with poison,
When tears flow down her cheek,
Without ever telling him the painful truth,
The greatest lie of all?

   

Is that when a clown laughs in ecstasy,
Trying to hide is painful inside,
So that his audience can experience joy,
The greatest lie of all?

   

The tarnished world of mistrust and suspicion,
Will only become equivalent to heavens;
When what is wrong be right,
When what is black be white,
When what is darkness be light,
When what is dim be bright,
When what is weakness be might.

   

Rain continued to drop from the heavens;
In rhythmic uniformity, rain upheld its promise,
To return each year, at the same time.
Then, my mind went on a quest,
A quest to find a lie,
The greatest of them all,
Which mankind has ever managed to haul.

-Vishnu Chandrasenan