The lie is a simple thing
but difficult like a dragonfly
to hold.
Oil burns loosely
and gives way to the study of teeth.
A deck of cards
and a bug light
drank whiskey in the desert
near a pile of empty wallets –
and the Dow took note.

The lie is a simple thing
that is easy to say,
not so easy to read –
often with good manners
and good teeth.

dogs barking don’t lie
and birds don’t lie.
neither do the sun
nor a white moon.

But the spider’s trick
is to pretend
it does not exist.

Spiders come to every window and every doorway –
the lie is a simple thing.

The lie is a simple thing
and easy to use on your friends.

The lie is never (rarely) punished by jail.

Most good people tell
lies sometimes.
Prior to the mythology of serpents …

when was the first
lie?

The visible universe
is an entire deception
unto itself,

and lies are things
I say to myself.

(10.11.2010)