beware the righteously
indignant
in all his stripes
bold or meek
king or cobbler
who castigates
over politics
race
religion
or castigates us
for being what we are
which is
necessarily
flawed and imperfect
perhaps
the greatest achievement
of the deceiver
is deceiving himself
in believing
heart and soul
that he is
what he is not
into believing he is righteous
and wise
and mostly
brave
without jealousy
or spite
or envy
or merely enlightened enough
to see the horror and consequences
of our sins
in all of us
sins we're too weak
he believes
to confront
accept and
reject
as he has
beware
for the deceiver hates his sins
not because they're sinful
but because they make him
like all other men
so he curses those sins
to himself and all of us
to show us
he is different
for rejecting himself
and not being satisfied
by what God
or nature
made him
he creates an image
an illusion
of himself
to himself
to escape himself
first
before casting that illusion
into the world
as an example
we should admire
if we are righteous
and courageous too
but his illusion
as any illusion
is nothing to be admired
for belief in illusions
is idiocy
at best
and madness
at its worst
the fool
or the madman
seduces himself
to believe the illusion
and to challenge the illusion
is to challenge any other
securely held belief
that comforts
us through life
giving us meaning
and direction
and answers
like beliefs in fire gods
yomagn'tho
spells
nirvana
the afterlife
or any of the others
so
do not challenge his belief
of himself
as the noble shepherd
owning or
offering better judgement
or guidance
to our fellow man
than the common
shepherd
or he'll merely beguile you with more deceit
with more proclamations
of his mighty
though imperfect righteousness
proclamations
nothing more
than trying to convince you
in the same way
of convincing himself
that he's not
deceived
but righteous
do not be deceived by the proclamations
of his own imperfections
for it is false modesty
rather
beware that he proclaims at all
especially when it comes
to proclaiming what he is
be aware
very aware
because
the deceiver is crafty
knowing that you deceive too
necessarily because you are human
like him
in his corporeal form
so your sins
are the same as his
you are one and the same
both flawed
he says
as sinners
all the while
failing to mutter
much less proclaim
that sin occurs by degree
that no one is perfect
and the sin of your fib
though nothing to celebrate
is far less severe than the ten thousand
lies
he's told himself
beware when he tells you
that you have too much pride
to listen only to yourself
instead of him
and that you should be ashamed
at having so much pride
beware when he shames you
with your flaws
to make you feel small
and weak
to question yourself
and make you want to be better
than having flaws
by being more like
his illusion of himself
beware
for your desire
to mimic his illusion
is the validation he needs
to keep it intact
beware
when you catch the deceiver
beware
of his reminder
of the sin of judgement
beware
that without judgement
the deceiver deceives
rampantly
wantonly
which is his greatest joy
his greatest victory
along with deceiving himself
to live in illusion
instead of the world
we all know
to be true
beware the deceiver
for he is everywhere
without horns or hooves
or fire
or brimstone
beware the deceiver for he is subtle
a true believer
an apostle of his deceits
beware the priest
the poet
the pundit
in the pulpit
on the ballot
be aware of the stealthier ones
perhaps even worse
on a bar stool or on a bus
or outside in the heat laying pavement
dying inside
to give you answers
always
to why
to how
you
should be
more like
him
beware the righteously
indignant
for his disdain
can be crass
or coy
or effete
beware
his disdain is not of sin
but of himself
and of us too
as sinners
as the imperfect beings
that we necessarily
are
beware the deceiver
he is in all of us
be aware
he is cunning
be aware
and take care to expel him
and repel him
both inside and out
whenever
and whenever
you can
beware the deceiver
for those who embrace
their deceivers
their illusions
their reality
are not even
themselves
anymore
mrobins71 