That old charlatan

That old charlatan                                                                                                
 
I may not be obeying You more, Lord, 
but I am obeying myself less.
 
And if I am being fooled by that old charlatan,
I no longer choose him as a matter of course.
 
He is forced to fool me now to hold sway.
But maybe it’s always been like that,
 
this ancient relationship adjusted to a deeper level
with subtleties I’ve yet to catch up to. 
 
Yet even that would be a triumph of sorts, a ripening,
another veil become diaphanous, near to ineffectual. 
 
I console myself with such thoughts, now and then,
when the absolute mystery of everything
 
overwhelms my way of life,
my approach and devotion to You.
 
O child of God, take solace where you find it
but always hearken back to the original Source.