The Ion, the Phaedrus, the Republic
When someone else is all mixed up, we tend
To sneer at what they have to say, so why
Not Plato? Must we allow him to bend
And contradict his arguments? Is high
Philosophy supposed to work like that?
He has the voices in two dialogues
Praise poets. In Republic, he goes Splat!
On them, as if they were the low cur dogs
Of Athens, not the pedigreed fine men
For his ideal society. Now if
One Xanthippe spoke such a mess, why then
We’d all despise her. But with so much whiff
Of contradiction coming out of Him,
We’re all supposed to sing a great love hymn.