Bella Shepard

What Is Real?

What is real and what is not?

What is true and what is not?

It seems to be a matter of opinion these days

Or do we simply believe what benefits us most

Now, Politicians

They are the consummate purveyors

Of confusing reality and truth

Of a well worn strategy

To keep us off our guard

Confuse us

Make us believe in the shadows

Encourage us to doubt

And never let us see

What is right before our very eyes

Their mantra?

“Never believe the opposition, for they lie”

And if they spew misinformation enough

Then the theory goes

We should end up believing it

Even if they don’t

Which they don’t

Smoke and mirrors is their game

And we, giving up our power

To question and challenge

Placing our trust in the hands of a few

Have no idea what we have forfeited

I listen to them, I watch them

Well oiled and duplicitous

Never answering the questions

Put to them

But dancing a well choreographed fandango

No need of castanets and tambourine

So skilled are they to capture our attention

They say what we want to hear

Instead of what we need to hear

We are now on the road to our destiny

But it is getting darker

Harder to avoid the obstacles in our path

Unable to see the signposts

That could lead us to safety

And perhaps when we finally arrive

We will look around and see

The Truth

The Reality

And mourn our lack of insight

For having been so duped

For sometimes

You just have to learn the hard way