-- The Virtue of Sincerity --

John Herlihy

The virtue of sincerity has now been lost in our time;

Its aura of truthfulness no longer ours, no longer mine.

We fool ourselves into thinking our minds oh so sincere;

Our thought wrapped in halos of purity held oh so dear.

Instead our thoughts roam thru darkness hour after hour;

Little sparks of self-interest illuminate our night of power.

We grab at dried out straws to justify all that we may do;

An endless scroll of wrongdoing informs all that we know.

We seek of a false sincerity while our smiles beam wide;

While our selfish negativity lies in shadows quietly inside.

Blatant hypocrisy rules our mind with all our secret sealed;

If we ever let down our veils, our false self will be revealed.

What is our true self but a sincerity ever seeking to emerge;

To cast aside all our falsity and subterfuge in one final purge.

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(c) John Herlihy 6 August 2020