At its height now, deception
will have one believe he is simply
turning a trick and proving mastery
by hiding the way it all has gone
and stepping behind the curtain
for just a moment then slipping
back into your well-groomed suit
and on with the show for some
great finale.

At its depth now, illusion
will have one believe she is simply
creating her reality as she would have it
and stacking the house of cards, pointing
to a fixed moment in time to justtify all
or the other illusionist, for there are many,
changing suits to suit her fancy or yours,
then, like you, slipping back into
the place she's made in the world,
Queen of Pretense.

At its breadth now, appearance
will have one believe he is simply
doing the right thing, being the impressionist
and interpreter of reality for anyone who 
will allow, becoming willingly the apparition
who would meet you where you are 
and enter the mirage where you go to
play out mindlessly a drama that gives you
a fix for the pain of being extinguished 
by the looming ruler of your world
once upon a time. He, too, is
caught up in delusion.

How long will you pretend that 
your participation is inconsequential,
off the clock, not harming anyone but 
yourself. And herein lies the true illusion,
that you would believe your going to the show,
paying your dues to the devil because you
once convinced yourself you had crossed
too many lines and belonged to him...
you have believed you hurt nobody.
This is the show I want to be over,
and the veil torn in two with the light
of God piercing straight to your heart
where you now may feel, taste, smell,
hear and see Truth clear.

So here's the reality: outside
the theater of the damned or those 
who believe they are, there is love 
and only love, and I will meet you there,
where every moment is lived in authenticity
in shadow or in sun. The only way to break
this cycle of confusion is to love yourself
and let go of the self-importance,
to give and to receive, to need nothing
and to rejoice in the other but not
to hold and clutch and need.
See what you will see. Drop
the lies you tell yourself.
Receive the love.