The Way of the Fool

When the holy are rich,
and the brave have been bought
When the wise are weak
and the learned are all liars
Truth hides a fugitive
in the mouths of fools

In the land of the many
the one-eyed king is blind
The ten thousand things
seen as one thing
Truths become sad lies
when perspective is lost
Fool, help them see
the many-soul'd king
Give each an eye
the ten-thousand-fold lords
In the land of the many
the wise must be fools

The wise congressman, wishing for a Senate seat
The wise senator, dreaming of a White House bed
Wise man, be not wise
Foolish man, be a voice
Tell true lies, and never lies for truth.

Wisdom is a lie
That whispers to the wise
Truth is pure nonsense
Bellowed on a roof
True things are many,
Multiple confusions
Falsehoods are singular
Self-consistent, and strong.

Weakness is a truth
Sadness is true
Strength is a lie
Justice a farce
Triumph a mockery
Victory a boast
Tragedy is sometimes true
Comedy is the truth.

8/29/01

I'm not sure if I agree with my earlier self on this one. I think I've listened to too many wicked clowns recently; I've lost my taste for deliberate foolishness. I still like "Tell true lies, and never lies for truth". There's something perversely right about that one...