Cynical?

I know you don't like me
For the things that I say
My words are too blunt
To you they seem unfair
To use words in poetry
That most use in the dark
You'd rather I describe roses
That bloom in the park
Or embellish the greeting cards
That you send to your love
On Valentine's Day and birthdays
With a picture of a pair of dove.

But you must admit
That what I say isn't untrue
May not be universal
And may not apply to you
What I do put down
Is what I can see
And some of what I write
Is happening to me
Wish I could be a mere actor
On this stage we call life
Parrot lines given to me
And not have to wield this knife.

I'm not a preacher
Nor am I a prude
Not a crusader
Not even Robin Hood
But I detest Hypocrisy
I hate this social façade
The niceties and painted smiles
When in reality our eyes are hard
When we lie through our teeth
And make it sound like truth
When you behave like an angel outside
And at home behave like a brute
When you make commitments
And promises and take a vow
Then go about breaking them
Getting lost in the now
We pretend to be in love
When all they do is lust
And what we tell each other
Isn't worth a fistful of dust.

I guess these things do affect me
But believe me I'm not insane
And my expression through poetry
Is my effort to remain
Human and still believe in love
Other human values
And in God above
I may sound cynical
But insensitive I'm not
That's perhaps the reason
I'm not blind to this rot
Thank God it's not universal
And restricted to just a few
My heart is still full of hope
Each day that I greet is new.

~Siddharth Sanyal~

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