Genuinely Dishonest

 

 

I thought I had heard them all

But I was clearly mistaken,

This oxymoron I picked up today

Speaks to a growing problem.

 

Dishonesty is nothing new,

It goes back to Bible days,

Right there in the book of the Acts

We see two making a play.

 

Ananias and Saphira,

A daring early church couple

Lied to the anointed man of God

And ended up in trouble.

 

Trying to fool the apostle Peter

This husband and wife

But their otherwise secret ploy

Cause them their physical life.

 

And down through the ages

We have seen many a trickster,

Con-men, as today there are called,

Or simply, boldface liars.

 

They genuinely ply their trade

Morning, noon and night

Very purpose-driven and up to date

As though this makes it right.

 

 

They leave home with the bent

To con, to scam, to steal

And many succumb to their schemes

Because of their honest appeal.

 

They turn a believable story

Laced with emotion and charm

And the honesty showing in their eyes

Says absolutely no harm.

 

Genuinely dishonest,

Certainly, an oxymoron of sorts

And many doing business with such

Will often come up short.

 

A genuine counterfeit,

Genuinely dishonest is no different,

Oxymoron after oxymoron

May be a moron’s bent.

 

Stewart Russell © June 8, 2023