Is Tarah

Sharpie Right-ing

A mind is galvanized by possibilities,
The moment of discovering a ‘sharpie’…
That dispenses ink on everything –
Geography, history, medicine,
Constitutions, election results… name it!
Upon realizing this I tried it forthwith.

Picking up a globe, allotting victories
To those lying beneath the feet,
By redrawing boundaries as seemed fit,
I felt satisfied but intrigued.
Renaming oceans after native sons,
Abstracting historical narratives as told
By Amerindians, Filipinos or South Asians,
I noticed with awe
Something not even proponents
Of the implement foresaw…
The ink obeyed its own law…

For what I wrote with truthful intent,
In minutes vanished as if evanescent…
Leaving the old lies intact,
Replacing the mutant… but why.

Could it be that what’s written
With a sharp blade once,
Its namesake won’t erase… but will extend?
As for lies, it’s a tool without guile
Lately, even servile …
Though I’m positive the magic
Will flip in a short while.

– Bolbul