Allegory Of The Cave


He climbed toward the blinding light
And when his eyes adjusted
He looked down and could see

His fellow prisoners captivated
By shadows; everything he had believed
Was false. And he was suddenly

In the 20th century, in the sunlight
And violence of history, encumbered
By knowledge. Only a hero

Would dare return with the truth.
So from the cave’s upper reaches,
Removed from harm, he called out

The disturbing news.
What lovely echoes, the prisoners said,
What a fine musical place to live.

He spelled it out, then, in clear prose
On paper scraps, which he floated down.
But in the semi-dark they read his words

With the indulgence of those who seldom read:
It’s about my father’s death, one of them said.
No, said the others, it’s a joke.

By this time he no longer was sure
Of what he’d seen. Wasn’t sunlight a shadow too?
Wasn’t there always a source

Behind a source? He just stood there,
Confused, a man who had moved
To larger errors, without a prayer.


1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (2 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5)

Allegory Of The Cave