So We Must Lie, To Remain Alive

full of sentence

very high on words

and overwhelmingly obtuse

and full of thoughts

who are you now?

what can I be?

exposed to hope

the great fakery 

is this not a trick?

every single part of it. . .

sir

anti crass

dr

still not proper

mr

f*****g idiot

born of vile words

full up on upsetting meanings

afraid of nothing

without meaning

and so it goes

and me with it

anhedonia

so I feel nothing

all the way around

please. . . dear

      you should join me

here

  

when rationalized 

        this is bliss

or leave me to my mark
idiot wide eyed

and stupid blinking

for no reason

as nothing

for no reason

for no one

regardless of all season

in concert

with the reality of all seasons

objectively so

wealthy or poor

every one of us is dying

by the minute

by the second

what can not change

is what cannot change

I will not change

for I am human

and so you are there

and so I am here

sir officer consistent 

and what shall we say?

as we end

will it be quite special?

(no)

lets just let us think it so

so it can be so

anyway

verily

among them 

among us

what shall we say

before our execution

is there a template?

is there a prompt?

or was this nothing?

. . .

what separates that thing

from this one or that one

or something else entirely

is how we play

and how we practice

our meaning out

our beta testing

against all odds

and from their meaning

comes back our meaning

it makes no sense

like f*****g your sister

it's f*****g madness

but still technically

    productive

perhaps i seem obtuse

and it see it silly

because my mind is twisted

but if all taboos

were to surface. . .

shame would rule

and so we lie

and do pretend

to pass the times

with anyone

(special) 

in between the no where

and the nothing

where everything is deference

where everything is referenced

looked up

but never learned

beta tested

but never perfected  

I leave this to them

my wealth

I leave here with you

my spirit

between the difference

of pretender specials

and the meaning

of nothing special

so we must lie

like a cats meow

but not too clever. . .

  or they will trap us

so we must lie

(this poem was far, far too long)

Author's Note

Reviews

[AYVID N]

I feel that more than half of the words used, spoken, written by everyone, actually are superfluous just like mental white noise, cerebral babble. There is very little sincere intention or meaning behind most of it. Nothing special, as you say. We want to make it special. This interval in-between being born and dying. Hence, all the commotion. Yet some things, some laws, some boundaries must be respected.

[Davidgeo]

If you cut yourself you will bleed. If you starve yourself you will die. If you live only in the dark you will go blind. If you only listen to the same thing you will go deaf to everything else... etc., etc.

2+2 = 4 and it will never equal five

[Davidgeo]

So always let it equal 4 and you will find balance.

[AYVID N]

I keep trying....I have to get used to it.

[Davidgeo]

Stop trying. Just give up and let the chips fall where they may. That's how you get used to it. No thing is perfect, be nothing.

[AYVID N]

I'll grow stiff then...like the bodies they dissect, open to be knifed anywhere...

[AYVID N]

For some that can be agony...

[Davidgeo]

To be without anything is to be fluid; intellectually adaptable.

I know I sound like a silly hippy when I say s**t like that but that is not the case.

What I'm conveying comes from a place of great discipline and very high standards. Standards I don't myself live up to. . . nor will I ever most likely. But I've found that aspiring to that taoist bullshit makes one a better person. Which may not be what you need, it might be the wrong advice.

[AYVID N]

To each what suits them. It works best for me when I fight than let go...Yet maybe I'll learn with time...Maybe from you

[Davidgeo]

Time is a great teacher. I'm sure you already know this.

But don't learn from me. I am a hypocrite. Perhaps I can see the path but I certainly don't know how to walk the path. A clever shallowness disguised as wisdom is all I have to offer. Do not follow me

[AYVID N]

No worries. I probably won't. And anyway, It's mostly trial and error for everyone, on their own, alone.

[Alessander]

I dug the bitter tone and biting critiques, but you're right in your notes. It got a bit long and began feeling more like a rant than a "poem". My old poetry prof used to suggest 'one image per stanza' and while that shouldn't be a rule always adhered (and this doesn't have stanzas, but let's say, every 6 or so lines), that tends to be a good rule of thumb to engage readers.

That being said, for some reason, this reminded me of T.S. Eliot's Hollow Men...laughter from dead bellies (image). I think it was the sorta flow and acidic contempt

sir

anti crass

dr

still not proper

mr

f*****g idiot

born of vile words
full up on upsetting meanings

afraid of nothing

without meaning

My take on it was that this was a critique on a pompous a*s, or 'poetaster" - or even in a grander context, all poets and maybe artists. Reminds me of Nietzsche when he said in Thus Spoke Zarathustra "The poets...they lie too much" but ironically, speaking through the voice of a poet-sage.

exposed to hope
the great fakery

is this not a trick?
every single part of it.

I like the idea of "beta tested"

Seems like this is what we do here, submitting our stuff to "focus groups" - reviewers. Or maybe even social media in general. Creating our beta tested avatars before walking out the door to real life.

And I absolutely love the word "anhedonia" It's a great word that should be used more cuz there's some truly miserable asses out there.

Anyhow, I guess I could go on, but you get the drift. Your pieces always convey a lot below the fractured surface. Never superficial, even if a bit enigmatic.

Enjoyed.

[Chris Shaw]

This is a very long poem, as you have stated and for someone who is quite economical with words in poetry, (not necessarily elsewhere) I had to dig deeper to finish it. Your title, So We Must Lie To Remain Alive and I pondered and thought, it's not good to lie, but then I thought again and could understand why some people do lie in certain circumstances. However there are boundaries, some of them are essential. We can't have a situation where all taboos surface. Thought provoking poetry.

[Davidgeo]

Word economy in poetry, to me anyway, doesn't necessarily refer to overall length but to conveying a message or meaning in fewer words than you would if it was prose.

[Samuel]

This poem is marvelously written. Firstly, the title is very interesting and suitable to the poem. Secondly the flow is superb.
The thoughts presented are amazing and apt.