The mad girl with the staring eyes and long white fingers
Hooked in the stones of the wall,
The storm-wrack hair and screeching mouth: does it matter, Cassandra,
Whether the people believe
Your bitter fountain? Truly men hate the truth, they’d liefer
Meet a tiger on the road.
Therefore the poets honey their truth with lying; but religion-
Vendors and political men
Pour from the barrel, new lies on the old, and are praised for kind
Wisdom. Poor bitch be wise.
No: you’ll still mumble in a corner a crust of truth, to men
And gods disgusting-you and I, Cassandra.
(Robinson Jeffers)
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Based on Topics: Wisdom & Knowledge Poems, Truth Poems, Literature Poems, People Poems, Poets PoemsBased on Keywords: bitch, barrel, religion, hooked, screeching, political, mumble, cassandra, liefer, vendors, storm-wrack