LACUNAE IN THE SUPEREGO

Even though his parents

were Roman Catholics,

he thought pulling his pud

made his nose look Jewish.

In a confessional booth,

a priest told him so.

His father taught:

Honesty is the best policy.

Yet he saw his father shake

the leathery hand of a man

who asked to be paid in cash

for taking down a huge tree

in front of their house.

In Sunday School he learned

his father trashed

the Eighth Commandment:

Thou shalt not steal.

Even Presidents lie and cheat,

explaining: I am not a crook!

No WMD found in Iraq,

the Gulf of Tonkin,

an LBJ fabrication.

Bhopal and Union Carbide,

asbestos and mesothelioma,

the list goes on.

Uncle Sam groans:

The lies, damned lies, and statistics.

Not so honest words

ring in my ears. The good Lord

must be looking the other way.