Betrayal comes in many forms,
But relies on underlying intimacy
To insure a lethal wound.
It is an emotional ambush,
Carefully designed,
Flawlessly executed,
Producing an evil sound
In the orchestra of life.

"Let's talk about it," she said,
"So I might explain why you are wrong.
You are paranoid, suspicious
And you lack the proper trust.
If only you had more faith in me,
You would understand your flaws."

Then, filled with doubt,
And tangents notwithstanding,
I struggle with myself.
Am I flawed?
Do I lack the proper trust?
Am I paranoid and suspicious?
Perhaps it is me.

The Betrayer
Will wrap themselves in a coat of righteousness,
Impervious to honest eyes
That are searching for a soul.
Instead...
They will describe their soul for you,
And demand that you will see
The spiritual mirage.

And so I am stranded
In the valley of disregard,
Alone,
And I am left to decide
Who brought me to this barren wasteland.

Why does conscience desert me
And tell me that I am wrong,
When evil lies before me and not within?
And then I know...
That betrayal is not a lonely thing,
It has an evil twin.

Betrayal is a conspiracy
With those who would wield the saber;
Darkened assignations,
Construe d in private
By blighted souls.

Consider if you will,
Old Palestine,
Where the blood of innocents was spilled
By a thousand stones,
And jeers,
And a hatred born of lies.

Consider life in Salem,
And screams heard above the flames,
Hatred in the eyes of the accusers,
Tragic death without a crime.

And so we arrive at a point in our lives,
When I know that I've been betrayed.
I hear hushed conversations from afar;
Justifications and rationalizations
From those who have sprung the trap.
Perhaps I am wrong,
And this is all some tragic mistake,
But I reside in the valley of disregard,
And I feel the stones as I am tied to the stake.