The weight of deceit
Layer upon layer
Bending the back of virtue
Dimming the light of truth
Insidious, it smothers hope
Without decency it imperils
Character falls from grace
Until nothing is recognizable
A cancer on the soul
Then, it falters, it withers
Deceit proves no match
for the wisdom of eternity
Slowly, we shed its burden
Truth returns
like a long-lost friend
Are we safe again?
For now, it seems
For now, we breathe
The Great Reckoning
Ushers in a new day
With calm deliverance
Have we learned our lesson?
Can we straighten our backs?
Lift our eyes to the horizon?
To heaven?
Returning to the trail of hope
Like pilgrims with new shoes
Our backpacks full of questions
Our spirits restored
We drink again
From the fountain of community
Fear and anger recede
As deceit dies a lonely death.
