Nothing Is Sacred
it’s not that I don’t know
but what I know isn’t relevant
to you
I’m not an explainer
what you want to understand about me
isn’t going to make any difference
what I don’t tell you
isn’t even a secret
it’s merely a boundary
of how willing I am to trust you
I won’t even confirm
what you think you know
I have nothing more to tell you
not even why
each thing I say
makes it appear I’m open
for negotiation
that if you keep me talking
I‘ll tell you what you want to know
tell you some amazing realization
that let’s you feel ah ah
now I have him
he’s in my control
or he’s not so special after all
you were expecting something deeper
more profound
instead you are getting nothing
don’t forget
nothing is sacred
What is the difference been data & information, between truth & facts? Even data can be ignored if it doesn’t fit one’s deeply held religious beliefs. Accepting this has made it easier for me to keep my big mouth shut in many situations. When people ask for my option I know they ultimately want me to confirm what they already believe.
The theme of identity appears frequently in my poetry – what we think we know about each other, about the political scene, about greenhouse gas – issues we become invested in that give us a sense of definition in our own minds & in the eyes of each other. We are judged a much by our opinions as by our appearance, or our actions. Guilty even when proved innocent.
As I grow older life gets simpler the less I have to say. I have my opinions on religion – how easy it is to justify homophobia by using cherry-picked Bible quotes by people who brag about known g their Bible history – usually when they don’t know the history of the bible itself. But I choose not to wade into that morass – people who don’t want to listen are a waste of my time. I have more important things to worry about – like what tee-shirt am I going to wear.
This piece is also about people who want to make sure you know just how more they know than you do. I do have a rather extensive file of trivia trapped in my brain than I can access quickly – ask me what I watched on TV yesterday & I may not know though 🙂 But I do know what tee-shirt I’m probably going to wear tomorrow. I’d rather be defined by what I wear anyway.
Hey! Now you can give me $$$ to defray blog fees & buy coffee on my trip to Cape Breton – sweet,eh? paypal.me/TOpoet
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