Duplicity

Duplicity

John Poole

His words purred like a kitten,
salve to wounded souls,
taught truth in seeds, in pearls, in bread–
meaning buried in shallow darkness,
His prayers pleaded for peace.

You listened with painted ears,
Tamped failings deep inside–
peace punctuated by sleepless nights
of hypocrisy, donned a clean cloak
to hide a soiled soul.

Stabbed by each sermon,
pierced by other’s eyes, escaped
through a kiss on the cheek.

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John Poole
Poet & Professor

John has had poetry published in Origins, Stonecrop, Agape Review, and Human Touch Journal. He is a professor of English education at BYU-Idaho.

Photography by James Zwadlo