Emily Dickinson may well have foreseen our tenuous relationship with the truth ...
Tell all the truth but tell it slant -
by Emily Dickinson
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth’s superb surprise
As Lightning to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind —
Have a good day. Come back tomorrow for Musical Monday ... more thoughts then.
Bilbo
4 comments:
Hence Jack Nicholson's line, "You can't handle the truth."
Nice poem.
Smaller doses of the truth seem to be accepted more.
A man who lived at home with his mother and pet cat went on a trip to Europe. Before he left he told his best friend to tell him of any emergencies. A few days into his trip, his cat slipped while climbing the roof, fell off and died.
His friend immediately texts him with the message: “Your cat died!”
In a few hours he was back home, having cut short his trip in grief. When he saw his friend he yelled at him, “Why didn’t you break the news to me slowly? You know how close I was to my cat! You could have sent a message ‘Your cat climbed up on the roof today’, and the next day you could’ve written, ‘Your cat fell off the roof’ and let me down gradually that he died.” After a quick memorial service, the man left again to continue his trip.
A few days later he gets a text from his friend. It read, “Your mother climbed up on the roof today.”
I really like this poem. I have a passing acquaintance with Emily D. but never heard of this one.
Post a Comment