Pretending

By Don Iannone

We pretend at times

that things are better

than they really are

because we want our life to be

better than it really is.

We pretend at times

that things are worse

than they really are

because we can't stop clinging

to our deepest fears.

When we pretend

we fill in the empty spaces

in our lives

because we cannot accept

our not knowing

how things really are.

We pretend because pretense is a place

where we hide from the truth

that eventually reveals itself

and changes us forever.

Being the Truth You Speak
By Don Iannone

How can you speak the truth
if you aren't that truth in the first place?
I can't,
and neither can you.
Which truth is it
that you or I should be?
For each of us,
there is but one truth
that lies within us.
It is the truth found buried--
beneath all lies
that we tell ourselves,
and those told to us by others.
It is the truth that helps us
to rest at night, knowing
who we are, and why we are here.
Be the truth,
and you will always speak the truth.
And surprisingly,
you might find that the truth you are
needs no words to be known.

Zapped by Truth
By Don Iannone

Bare truth descends,
like an unannounced lightning bolt
from inner sky.
It's a direct hit.
All in its path--
blown to bits.
Complete descimation.
Debris everywhere.
Nothing left to cling to.
Ego loses. Truth wins.