Dishonest Injun
(a Terza Rima 14-line sonnet: an homage to Dante Alighieri and Percy Shelley)
ABA BCB CDC DED EE

"Diplomacy based on Deception." Our brand.
Not a trustworthy word have we mumbled.
As Tevya once said: "There is no other hand."

So we fiddle on roofs that have crumbled.
We have spoken in noises that almost cohere
but which left us dishonored and humbled

all because what we do makes our noise disappear
in a treacherous fog of pure lying.
So now the "West" speaks and elicits a jeer

which in turn starts the crocodiles crying
one tear from the corner of one single eye
(What has this got to do with our spying?)

The sun has now set on The Empire, and I
can't wait one more day for the dumb beast to die.

Michael Murry, "The Misfortune Teller," Copyright © 2026