Truth Poem by Stephanie Starr

A game, just a game
Innocent enough to mean nothing
Question after answer
Answer after question
We tie the ties tight
With each truth, no lie
A way to get to know
The inner workings of those eyes
With a touch of challenge
A beat of adrenaline
No question goes unanswered
For that would be the end
Of this endless game

Side by side
truth or lie
One or the other
There is no better
Opportunity here
Than the one that stands before you
So do it now
Show me how
To tell a truth
Or a lie
I can disguise

What’s your biggest fear?
He asks, smiling daringly
Bad grades, I shoot back
And he laughs at the geek
And you I say. the smile creeps away
Drowning, he says, no joke at all
Still your turn, he insists
That was my question, I persist
No copying, he declares
Who says? I flare
I do, and I roll my eyes
Bickering, back and forth
Do we ever stop?
I don’t think we want to
No I don’t think we do
What was it like, I venture, looking slowly up at him
Alright, he shrugs, staring straight ahead
I don’t remember much,
It’s a blur, all a blur…
And the questions get harder
As we dive deeper into the unknown
How far has it gone?
And I feel the need to pass
But passing is losing
Maybe even losing him
So I list the truth, because of the hope
It brings me closer to the answer, in this game of truth

Bit by bit
The puzzle comes to fit
Piece after piece
There’s no way to cease
What is happening before your eyes
So let it go
Just take it slow
The pieces aren’t far
They’re right where we are
Don’t let them scar

Most surprising thing? I ask
And I don’t know what to expect
But I am stunned too
When she kissed me, he smiles
And I wonder if she’s still there
Renting his heart,
But thinking of buying it,
For good.
And I don’t know if it’s the truth
When he says she isn't there anymore
No getting your hopes up
In this game of truth
What do you look for most in a man?
I take some time to reply
For the true thing to say
Would be 'exactly like you'
But I can’t, I just can’t
So I tell the next best thing
And describe his very soul
With no name attached
And whether he knows
Would be a sacred secret

Heartache by heartbreak
The hope or the fall
Unavoidable, we know
When the tears start to flow
And you can’t hold back what you have before
So be strong
And move along
You know you can
You don’t need his hand
Be the bigger man

As the weeks pass
And our game goes on
I want to ask
The biggest truth of all…
But will I fall?
Will he catch me?
Will the truth I see in his eyes
Match the words of his mouth?
And can I dare
To ruin such a game
It’s not just a game
No more
To me
We can play up the innocence
And make it all seem
Like an endless dream
But we are playing roles
At least I am
The truth I want
Is the truth I can’t ask
I want to be that girl
Who kissed him so suddenly
And all fell into place
No words, none at all, just actions
I want it with a passion
I want to pass
Then give him the chance to win
And he will, without a doubt
When the question moves from my lips
To his
The answer of an action
And he will win
But will I get
The answer to the beginning
Or the answer to the end?
By ending our innocence
Will I lose something timeless?
Or will I get something better?
Truer?

Tell the truth is the one rule
And that will always stay
And I want the truth, I really do…
But not if the dream scatters away.