Truth Like a Midsummer Day

 Truth Like a Midsummer Day

(“Let your word be ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no.’ More than this is from the evil one.” Matthew 5:37)

Are you going to say the same things as before,
or have you changed your tune?
And how can I trust you when, late and soon,
your promises are mirages, your words subterfuge?

When you speak, all you say
falls through my fingers and fades away
with no weight,
no gravity,
no import,
no impact,
and no honesty at all.
(“I’ll be with you in spirit” are the coveralls
you wear to disguise your vacuous indecision.)
We all know you had decided five years ago.

I may as well try to shoot down asteroids with
a bb gun.

The day can still be saved,
the friendship resurrected with
honest words without blame. Fill the close air
between us with
substance that cannot evaporate by noon.

While you consider your answer, the pain of waiting
is amped up in nervous energy. And when you
finally
show up
how is it you have the answer for everything we are
doing
when
you never met with us before?
I don’t mean to be this sharp (knife or blade),
but how can you pitch your ideas when the
project is almost done?

Deposit your “yes” and let us keep it for future reference.
Or
Speak your “no” and leave and we will continue nicely.
But please, next time,
find a way to say truth like a midsummer day.
We will doubt you less, and though we wish you were here,
we will paint and pitch, roof and stitch the
project together, boundless.