the truth...

the truth...
is a product of perception. 
one person's mountain
is another's hill. your river
is someone else's creek.
in the end, it doesn't matter.

a lie...
is different. oh, you might
claim a small white one is
really a positive, but a lie, 
no matter where it falls
in the spectrum,

corrodes
gently. relentlessly.
confess it, you'll regret 
the pain it causes.
but choose to keep
it a secret, and the longer

you
do, the deeper it gnaws,
through skin and flesh,
sinew and bone, all the way
to your heart. and there
you'll carry it always.