Idris called it textbook random,
little questions framed in generalities,
getting to know someone without
truly getting to know someone.
His pop quiz surveys
weren’t innocent or casual.
He liked cruel for dessert and
feeding piranhas for fun.
Tell the ignorant a lie three times
and they’ll take it as truth.
I became the topic, the target,
of Idris’s petty collection
of insufferable friends.
Tired of the shoebox of bs
he thought I couldn’t escape
I clawed him with truth,
“A peacock will lose its feathers when
Circe comes to claim its tongue.”
©Susie Clevenger 2024
Circe has often been identified as the first witch in Greek mythology.
Your pen is on fire and i am loving it. Great closing lines!
ReplyDeleteThat second stanza describes a true monster hiding behind a facade of mere play. Such people deserve a good clawing.
ReplyDelete"Tell the ignorant a lie three times, and they'll take it as truth." Yes, I GET that! And I loved "the shoebox full of bs."
ReplyDeleteYou had me with the first stanza on, nailed that character and stuck his head on a wall. Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteGetting quizzed by someone like this is akin to torture. I especially love that first and third stanza and the tough, take no bs, attitude.
ReplyDeleteI love this Susie! A powerful poem and I especially love the line "clawed him with truth" Yes!!!!
ReplyDelete