Dressed in white gowns, the Truth has been making her rounds:
trying to comfort all hapless ones, save and delight.
Then, after years of searching, a dirty Lie found,
sweet-talked and tricked this plain Truth into staying a night.

The simple Truth felt asleep very soon, sweet and sound.
She smiled in her peaceful dreams while the bare-faced Lie
swiftly stood up, pulled her blanket, took one look around,
dug her claws into the Truth and got quite satisfied.

Lie said, "Just look at this dame, she is so pathetic!"
threw a bulldog-like grimace at the Truth, rude and wry.
(If you disrobe them both of all words and all ethics,
it’s hard to figure which one is the Truth or the Lie.)

Lie grabbed the Truth’s white dress (cleaned herself with a scraper,
messed up the braids of the Truth, stole her silvery band,
the Truth’s money, engraved new gold watch and her papers).
Lie spat once, said dirty words, and then out Lie went.

When the dawn cracked, the Truth learned that her things disappeared
(was quite surprised that her face was all dirty and cut:
someone, already, got plenty of soot and had smeared
the pure Truth with a sticky and stinky black smut).

The Truth kept saying to those who threw heavy stones:
"It’s a mistake! Trust me, Lie stole my things and my frock!"
The Truth was stopped and handcuffed, and - with broken bones -
dragged to a precinct. The Truth was insulted and mocked:

there, they called her "cheap trash" and "a bum," and "a clown,"
teased her, threw mud at her. Finally, what did they choose? -
"Let’s fingerprint her and throw her out of town!
Look: she is ugly and poor, and dirty, and bruised!"

And (by the way, they have charged her with two misdemeanors!)
made a report on her, ending it with such a line:
"Impudent liar, boozehound, a bum and a sinner
says she’s Truth, but it surely must be a lie!"

The Truth has cried and beseeched, and turned into a roamer:
wandered around, forgotten, unneeded, and sick.
The filthy Lie, meanwhile, stole credit cards and diplomas,
found a prominent office, and there she sneaked.

 
 
 
 

Till this day, some naifs fight for the Truth, I am sure.
But it’s not true what these naifs suggest we should try:
"Listen, the Truth can still win this old fight and endure
if she pulls the dirty tricks that were pulled by the Lie!"