Stranger than Fiction

 

 

His hair was quire ruffled

Yet he was skin-head bald

And though as short as they come

He was actually quite tall.

 

He was of light complexion

But of the darker hue,

And while he looked like me

He could have been you.

 

When I first met him

I was not around

Such that when I looked for him

He could not be found.

 

He wore very dark shades

That were actually spectacles

Yet he was blind as a bat

Just like ordinary people.

 

 

He ran with a noticeable limp

On his single peg leg

And though he was filthy rich

He preferred to beg.

 

He was very transparent

Given his bulky size

And though he was quite humble

He was still full of pride.

 

Yes, he was arrogantly proud

Yet the humblest of men

And though this was just recent

It was way back then.

 

He seldom left home

But frequented his district

And would entertain a lot

But nobody would visit.

 

He was stranger than fiction

And larger than life,

Though he had never been married

He still lived with his wife.

 

All this may seem incredible

But it was actually so

And even if I am lying

Tell me, how would you know?

 

 

I was the only eyewitness

To all of these non-facts

And I knew the man

Because I created his stats.

 

So, don’t accuse me of lying

I am a story writer

And likewise, the novels your read

Don’t make you any brighter.

 

He was stranger than fiction

And larger than life

The truth and what you believe

Need not cause you strife.

 

Outside of the Bible

All else is fiction,

Have a little fun sometimes

But don’t let it be an addiction.

 

If you must tell a lie

Make sure everyone knows,

It is what jokes are made of

That’s how they flow.

 

 

I was in the deep throes of sleep

When I wrote this poem…

There I go again

Now you know my problem.

 

Stewart Russell © August 2020