how does one tell the truth
to oneself when the wolves
of doubt slaver at each word
waiting for any sliver of emotional
slither to drop from one’s lips
before leaping forward to feed
how does one tell the truth
to others when each word
one speaks bends back to obscure
the one word unspoken behind
them all which would unlock
the tightly sealed box of one’s life
to speak within a simple honesty
is to sit alone in silent dread
(December 2011)
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