Don’t Be Stupid
Modern poetry modern verse contemporary poetry contemporary verse modern poem contemporary poem
You know your secret self and I know mine.
The wise keep hidden meanings in their minds
And hearts. Maintain your secrets in that shrine
And I will kneel by mine, closing the blinds.
The others circling you will try to spy
Your secrets out. It really isn’t wise
To tell them. Actually you shouldn’t try
To tell them. It is better to disguise.
And even if you told the truth, others
Would never understand. They’d misconstrue.
The wise among them, even your brothers,
Would stop their ears. The rest, the fools, would screw
Up all your sacred stuff. So, hold your heart
Inside your ribs and hold their hearts apart.
~ Phillip Whidden