You Know My Truth

Your nimble fingers slowly unbent
the wire coat hanger of truth,
its stiff metal newly formed
beneath the guise of deceit.

That long cold wire snaked itself slowly
around my diaphragm and squeezed
breath and trust out so they became
trapped in your makeshift cage.

Old neighborhoods of panic
opened their doors and beckoned
me to partake in a rabbit-hole tea party
of silver plated arsenic-laced biscuits.

I had long since forgotten this stacked-deck place
forever standing on the periphery of contentment.
The pull of your lies as predictable as the tides,
but now you would learn the strength of my truth.

No click of my heels to carry me home,
instead I took a long and laborious breath
and stretched my lungs wide, your trap
expanded just enough so that I could escape.

Truth's resolve held my hand tightly
whispering bon mots and encouragement.
My pulse slowed, eyes widened leaving only clarity
as all the thick gray sludge around me dissipated.

Mendacious intent creates an inviting gilded prison,
always calling from the darkness.
The lock awaits the key of truth you clench between your teeth,
save yourself if you are brave enough to use it.

Reviews

[.]

-- the expression "a rabbit-hole tea party / of silver plated arsenic-laced biscuits" screams out of this page for me... -- i had forgotten how powerful "arsenic" is... plus arsenic is a carcinogen...

-- i've been writing about deception a lot lately... and sometimes i think that no matter how many times we write about it... and no matter how many people write about it... there'll always be something left to say about how brutal it is... -- and it startles us in the way that nothing else can... it actually makes us sit up and notice the truth...

-- brilliant stuff... -- a truly riveting read...

[icelandicblue]

Once again, I think you for your kind words.

[.]

-- the privilege is all mine... :)

[emmajoy]

' Mendacious intent creates an inviting gilded prison, - always calling from the darkness. '

Man, woman, child can be so easily deceived and trapped by the cold cruel touch of falsehood. Each and all drained of emotions, diluted by what can only be called the devil's work. Your words build from disillusion to hope.. with words between times, speaking with such clarity that i had to go back and forth which, in fact, drew the power of your words all around me. Takes skill to do that.. and you did.

Brave.. more than.. and inspiring. Thank you so much.

[icelandicblue]

Thank you Emma. It is always a treat to see you.

[emmajoy]

Just read my review again, see how much your words reached into me! :)

[Pryde Foltz]

Mendacious intent creates an inviting gilded prison,
always calling from the darkness.
The lock awaits the key of truth you clench between your teeth,
save yourself if you are brave enough to use it.

That truth is a double-sided mirror … that only work when it shatters illusion … Great write, IcyBlue.

[icelandicblue]

Thanks so much Pryde. Always good to see your smiling face.

[Moonie]

Wow, that escape was reminiscent of Houdini himself. Love the coat hanger metaphor, how your lies can catch you in their net, like a serpent traps its victim...
Favourite lines:
"me to partake in a rabbit-hole tea party
of silver plated arsenic-laced biscuits, " the mad tea party does sound very tempting, and so do those contaminated cookies..
Though, candor is a quality much more difficult to partake, it shall set you free from that serpentine grip... :))

[icelandicblue]

I prefer candor over a canard any day. Thank you once again Moon's fairest.

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

The truth can be distorted, the truth can set you free, the truth can do and be so many things, but mostly it is in the mind of the beholder. The greatest truth lies with our intuition, just so many choose to ignore it.

[icelandicblue]

The truth can certainly be a most nebulous thing...sometimes it's hard to grasp. Thanks so much Dale.

[The Rock And Roll Cowboy(REBEL WITH A CAUSE)]

My pleasure sweetie.

[Mark]

A hanger is twisted, yet useful. I guess evil can be as well... most likely as a lesson in how to deal.with it maybe? Certainly evil is unnatural in us. Something is twisted, either genetics or environment, to create it. Or.maybe I'm naive.lol

[icelandicblue]

It all started with the image of a hanger and devolved from there. I like your take on the poem Mark. Thank you.

[Einstein Noodle]

dear icey! i have not read a more clearly expressed description and warning of evil .. the worst of it called (not lightly) the devil ... how alluring it is to jump down the "..rabbit hole .." how many are lost ... so unnecessarily .. and that deck is so unequivocally stacked .. so many levels to interpreting your poem and all of them wrench my heart .. i can not imagine how God must scream ... something no human can endure .. what an incredible expression icey .. love to you and yours!
E.
ps. the hanger is exquisitely profound ... a horror unwound...

[icelandicblue]

The hanger was my first thought...Thanks so much E. It is always a pleasure when you drop by to share your thoughts.

[DIVYA]

Somewhere...while reading this poem, I found a bit of myself that was lost in one such betrayal...I grew a bit stronger reading your words...And I thank you much for it. I loved these lines...


"Truth's resolve held my hand tightly
whispering bon mots and encouragement.
My pulse slowed, eyes widened leaving only clarity
as all the thick gray sludge around me dissipated."

And the punch line is so brilliant...It will take the wind out of his sails...

"The lock awaits the key of truth you clench between your teeth,
save yourself if you are brave enough to use it."

So appreciated and enjoyed....

[icelandicblue]

Thanks so much for such a wonderfully thought out review. Thank you.

[DIVYA]

You are most welcome. Thanks for the delightful read.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

when someone has lied so much for so long, it is hard to unbend that coat hanger....and others feel that truth is kept in a prison behind your tongue...
only truth will set one free...while others will stay safe, just out of reach...

interesting use of metaphor here...i hear the meaning calling from the darkness...the truth wants to be heard.

[icelandicblue]

I would rather live by the sharp point of truth than the dull blade of deceit. They both cut, but a sharp puncture wakes you up so that you can act instead of being oblivious to the pressure of a dull blade that will eventually damage you so much more because it lulls you into complacency. Thank you jacob.

[Creepy Swine Guy]

Really REALLY love this one, especially the last two stanzas. Knowing the truth, no matter how much we may want to resist it is so very liberating. I have a few of my OWN truths I must come to embrace.

[icelandicblue]

Thanks you! This is the first thing I've written in months. I'm so happy you found it. ; )