Unfounded By Hearsay Poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

I spent five months,
Recuperating in a hospital...
Once.
And feeling depths of isolation,
With drifting expectations.

I have learned much about others,
And their assumptions...
Unfounded by hearsay.
And those weakened by their own beliefs.

Blessed I am to have had experiences,
Many with closed mindsets...
Have yet in their limited realities,
Been exposed to have bestowed.

And I have more of an understanding,
Of those who have managed to live alone...
With a pulling up of their bootstraps,
And to ignore those trapped...
With nothing else to offer but passed judgements,
Within walls of their false comfort zones.
And believing them to remain like that forever.

I have learned much about others,
And their assumptions...
Unfounded by hearsay.
And those weakened by their own beliefs.

If someone lies long enough to themselves,
And feed their lies to others to believe...
Reality,
When it finally arrives...
Is worse than facing a created enemy.