POEM STARTER

A truth that's told with bad intent

Beats all the lies you can invent.

Use this quote from the poet William Blake in a poem with a defined structure. As this is a rhyming couplet, your stanza format should follow however you use the quote.

The Policy Of Honesty

The policy of honesty’s

Not best, as far as I can see

Chatter full of little lies

Keeps the blinkers on the eyes

Heads that rest deep in the sand

To us we may misunderstand

To us it may seem fake, surreal

Why not expose the big reveal

But ask yourself why you want to

Cast this truth and so impromptu

It doesn’t matter they need to know

Though you could move from friend to foe

They need to see the path they are on

A path they may or may not remain on

Make their world more realistic

Know your act is altruistic

And keep in mind this line of wisdom

And know that you can always give some

A truth that’s told with bad intent

Beats all the lies you can invent

Comments 1

Fragglet

3 years ago

Hey…what a well woven piece! Your flow is great. ✨

Of the first couplet, the rhythm has a “chatty” ‘double-edged tone. Initially I thought ‘perhaps a con-man!’ ✨

(Although the others seem to go on to heed warnings)

Stanza 3: 🙌🏼✨

Stanza 5: Wow…feels like a trot/gallop… faster paced. Love that lyrically you’re saying ‘why run ahead?’

Stanza 6: rhythm feels a ‘lil off. P’raps missing a beat?:

“It doesn’t matter they need to know/ Though you could move from friend to foe “

How does this sound?:

“It doesn’t matter that they need to know/ Though you could move from friend to foe “

IF (as I suspect) adding the ‘that’ alters your meaning, p’raps add a simple comma…

“It doesn’t matter, they need to know/ Though you could move from friend to foe “ (Then the space/ pause is read as a beat)

Structurally, the couplets add to the feeling of ‘entwined’ and other-woven lies.

Again for drama a comma after the first “may”

“Make their works more realistic/ Know your act is altruistic”🙌🏼🙌🏼🤩

To keep in keeping with ‘the warning’ feeling running through, I would say

“So keep in mind this line of wisdom /And know that you can always give some”

I’m not sure the ‘double “And” adds to the narrative.

I liked the conversational chatty, informative tone—laced with warnings. I also liked a major question you raised. Although I would add the punctuation as below, to really capitalised on such a strong couplet:

“But ask yourself(,)why you want to/Cast this truth and so impromptu” 🤩 (It’s my couplet!! )

Or add ‘little pegs’ 😂…

“But ask yourself ‘why’ you want to/Cast this truth and so impromptu” (I prefer this because it emphasises ‘why’ and hangs tighter to the narrative )

Great read🙌🏼👏🏼—and good evening/morning to you!

Joseph Patrick Martin

App Developer with a compulsion to record whatever leaks from my brain—Verba volant, scripta manent.

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