October 12, 2010

Propaganda

I.


Believe this to be self-evident:

This ink is blue.

Believe this to be universal law:

Everything written is true.


This ink is blue,

not black, purple, red, or green.

Since everything written is true,

this is and shall be.


Not black, purple, red, or green?

But it's black, I say!

This is and shall be,

who are you to tell me otherwise?


“But it's black, I say” he says—

not thinkin' very clearly in the head!

I'll tell you otherwise, though,

it's because I'm God, written and so.


Not thinking clearly?

Now that's just bigotry!

Because you're God, written and so--”

PSSH! You and whose army?


Now that's just insolence!

To the cell with you and yours

My army and me, HAH!

Believe this to be true:

Tears fall silent in a crematory.


II.


In the cell with mine and ours,

sketching dreams for hours and hours—

In a jail of nightly horrors,

There is only one voice I hear.


Sketching dreams for hours and hours

in shapes of family, life, and lines,

There is only one voice I hear,

“This ink is blue.”


In the shapes of Family, Life, and Lines,

my hand descends, serpentine:

“This ink is blue,” and

“This ink is blue” shines.


My hand descends again!

“This ink is blue, it must be true”

"This ink is blue” shines,

While “it must be true” darkens red.


This ink is blue, it must be true

No such horror have I ever seen!

While “it must be true” darkens red,

This ink is blue is blue is blue.


No such horror have I ever seen!

Freed, I could clearly say to Him

“This ink is blue is blue is BLUE!”

And believe this to be true:

He smiled, and his teeth were blue.