Ode to Truth

What is truth?

 

That evasive chimera

Tormentor of thinkers

Hunter of the guilty

Aim of the honest

Leader of the lost

 

We may search for it

Prize it above all else

But we seek an illusion

For the harder we look

The more faint it grows

And as we grasp it firmly

It alters depth and form

A hologram of the soul

 

We may seek to evade it

Twist it to our own ends

But we can never escape it

For it is with us and within

The awe of it never leaves us

And the further from it we stray

The more we fear the certainty

That there is only truth at the end

 

We may say we live by it

Make it our highest praise

But we worship a false idol

For truth is not as a rock

The fickle heart of the man

Makes the nature of the truth

And between truth and lie

There is but a point of view

 

We may use it to aid us

To justify and to guide us

But we follow an unlit lamp

For it is dark behind our eyes

The cradle of truth lies there

Not showing us the way

But streaming out behind us

A comet trail of the mind

 

How, then, shall we decide?

How can we do what is right?

How can we know ourselves?

How may we say we are honest?

 

It seems we can know only this:

That one day we will face the truth

When nothing more can be hidden

And no more lies can be told

And then we will finally know

Whether we are honest or not

And it may be that real truth

Is only what we believe in our hearts

And we can only say we are honest

If we are true to ourselves

 

For that is the nature of truth. 

Reviews

[ice]

"We may say we live by it
Make it our highest praise
But we worship a false idol
For truth is not as a rock
The fickle heart of the man
Makes the nature of the truth
And between truth and lie
There is but a point of view"

To me, the most profound stanza in the poem..it could stand by itself as a short poem.

There is so much truth in this poem, that in confounds me..

I thought I knew the truth once
I was about fifteen, and knew everything.
Then I started working with poor blacks, and migrants
And found their truths were different than mine.

This poem, in its refreshing wisdom
Reminded me of that time in my life.
Also reminded me of how false those feelings
of knowing it all really were.

The poem was done with care, and thought
Just as a poem of this topic should be.
I enjoyed reading it.

[HopelesslyDevoted]

nice, very thought provoking

[SpokenWord]

What is true today is hear say tomorrow as truth is like change always in a state of flux. Everyone has their own truth and when the majority agree that this thing is true then it is considered the truth but it is never the whole truth because our perception has limitations and we only see one part of the truth that applies to us. People with different perceptions than our own are labeled as false or not truth. Truth is bigger than we think and more accepting than we will admit because truth is like love in many ways. Great write as always.

[Deviant Works]

Wow! This piece is surely a thinker. I was completely arguing with myself, evaluating everything I believe in. I consider myself to be a sickeningly honest person, I see with my heart so to speak. But this poem made me feel deluded, like you are absolutely right, that truth is more perception. What I feel is right or wrong could possibly be an illusion, one that I just so happen to live by. But then you ended this superbly, bringing me back to what I hold dear...

"And it may be that real truth
Is only what we believe in our hearts
And we can only say we are honest
If we are true to ourselves"

Brilliant write, Zoe! Had me spinning around for a moment. I try to be true to myself everyday, so I guess I'm not that much of a blind liar now.:)

[trainwreck]

this was, as mentioned, stirring. I was moved to think. Thank you for sharing.

[Coyote Poetry]

"The fickle heart of the man
Makes the nature of the truth
And between truth and lie"
Sometime hard to find truth anywhere. Must dig deep and keep the double talkers away. I like this poem. Open the doors to many questions. A very good ending to a excellent poem.
Coyote

[SpitfireGrrrl]

Oh my. This was.. stirring. I have a bit of a "thing" about honesty. You touched it perfectly. We say we are honest, we demand honesty in return - yet sometimes that Truth is so amorphous that we end up looking right through it. Again, you astound me. Thank you.

[John Jackson (El Juero)]

Breathtaking! This is truth, right here. An amazing write. 'Streaming out behind us, a comet trail of the mind'...line after searing line. WOW!