NO ARGUMENT
First the facts
Then the truth
The facts speak
For themselves
The truth sits
Silent
In your throat
Sensations
Floating
Unmoored
An abandoned boat
Washing to shore
After a storm
The facts warn
The truth
Already knows
The wind sits
Still
The wind blows
Fate moves
Toward
And away from us
As we debate here
Or there
There
Or here
The truth is every-
Where
The facts are only
Where they say they are
Right
Up in front
Of the classroom
Shouting, spitting, sifting
Through an argument
You can’t argue with
So
Not so
The truth—
Doesn’t need to prove
It’s right
It still sings
The song of your heart
All day
All night
It lets the facts
Speak
Without a fight
The truth knows
It doesn’t matter
Which way the wind blows
The truth is
the wind itself
Knowing the sky is
Only a backdrop
(the truth is,
that’s a lie—
the truth is also the sky)
Facts never lie
They climb on top
And try to unseat you
Lock you in
The truth is
Always
Your next breath
Ready for you
To go
At any time
Ready for you
To stop
©2020 Julie Flanders
Photo Credit: Marina Belica
April is Poetry Month Day 30
October Process 