Real Enemies, Fake Friends

Real enemies

Fake friends

Which is better?

Now that depends

On the odds and ends

Like 'What's your pleasure?'

Like how they make amends

And if all the dividends

From all their secret treasures

Are worth the weather

Of a very strong displeasure

Author's Note

Reviews

[John the Baptist]

First time I have seen this poet use rhyme. The lines have a certain bite to them, possibly indicative of some sense of bitterness. The last four lines are the most significant in the poem. It is as though the poet is debating whether such bitterness is really worth the time and energy.

[Davidgeo]

I'm not very good at rhyming. This one just kinda came out like that. Overall, I think I'd prefer a real enemy to a fake friend. The worst of all is when that fake friend turns into the real enemy, but at least you already know their tactics include pathological disingenuousness and that they lack integrity in every situation. Thanks for the review John, it's always nice to read them.

[Dave]

Very interesting choice to be made. On the one hand the known enemy that in some instances could be trusted, on the other hand the fake friend and never knowing what they may say or do. I suppose it must come down to a matter of trust.

Take care - Dave

[Davidgeo]

That old saying 'the devil you is better than the devil you don't' is something I've been thinking about lately. I think everyone has to deal with that concept in one way or another at some point in time during their life and trust will always be at the heart of our decision making process with regard to that. Thanks for the review Dave... and nice name by the way.

[Island Hippy]

Aloha David, this is very punchy and confronting. Who needs either to be honest but surely we value integrity & respect enough to rather have something real. I enjoyed your poem. Mahalo.

[Davidgeo]

Thanks for your review hippy. How's the weather in Hawaii these days?

[Saoirse K.]

weighing the worth of world around us
the devil you know or the illusion of an angel
i'll take the devil and pray twice
nice little piece

[Davidgeo]

Thanks. Conceptually I agree with you, but practically... sometimes people just want something sweet, even if it's temporary and not real. Brothels will never go out of business because of this. But at the end of the day I think it's clear... real enemies are better than fake friends.

[Chris Shaw]

Real enemies or fake friends, what a choice? I would say fake friends would be easier to work with than real enemies. Both sound broken and bitter though. If I was in that position I think I might be looking towards some reconciliation, but that's just me. I personally think life is too short, and full of crap anyway to make it worse. Telling it honestly and as I see it.

Chris

[Davidgeo]

The "friend" or "enemy" question isn't the real question. The real question is how much do you value and respect honesty and openness? Enough to hold someone or thing you don't particularly like in higher regard than someone or thing you do like but know underneath it is not what it seems. . . . I'd like to think I prefer the real enemy over the fake friend but, sometimes I think merely appearing as something appealing might be all I need. Kinda like a fast food over home cooking kind of thing.

[Chris Shaw]

I eat McDonald's chips, they aren't as good as homemade, but I still enjoy them. Your call. This site is positively full of venom at the moment. It needs to calm down.

[Davidgeo]

McDonald's is quick, easy and tasty but very unhealthy. Trade offs rule our lives almost everywhere.

I'm aware of the state of this site at the moment, you know that I'm aware of it. This poem is on a common theme and not meant to be a direct commentary on anything happening specifically here right now. Indirectly it may have planted a seed for this theme but if you hadn't brought it up we wouldn't be talking about it right now. Lets just ignore the venom wholesale from now on shall we? It'll go away eventually if we don't give it anything to envenomate.