So Help Me God
So help me God, the truth, the whole truth,
And nothing but the truth
Couldn't be farther from the truth, as I see it,
Since truth, by its very nature,
Raises questions as to its very veracity,
The second anyone says, "Let me be honest."
That one and its cousin and stepbrother —
"To be honest with you" and "In all honesty" —
Raise red flags, for those who fear being bullshitted.
Truth, if truth be told,
Is about as far away from a trustworthy covenant,
Be it by word of mouth, gentlemen's agreement,
Handshake, or notarized affidavit, contract, codicil,
As is a snake-oil salesman's personal guarantee
Of an if-not-satisfied-lifetime-money-back warranty.
So where does all this leave me?
If you're asking me, the truth of it is
That truth's about as untruthful as I've always been.
11/10/09
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