Poem by Mike Kieffer (2024)
Author Preface:
Truth is like water—gentle yet unyielding, adaptable yet constant. In a world where deception often stands tall and unmovable, truth flows with quiet determination, eroding falsehoods and nourishing what is real. This poem reflects on the enduring power of truth, which persists not through force, but through its unwavering nature.
To “hold the level” is to stay aligned with truth, even when the path is fraught with challenges. It is to trust that, like water carving canyons or fostering life, truth will ultimately shape the landscape of the world.
This poem is a meditation on truth’s ability to endure and transform, reminding us that even the seemingly unchangeable can be moved by the steady flow of what is real.
In nature, the only thing that is level is water, it is constantly striving to find a place, or way to become level, and in its progression, it erodes and nourishes where it flows.
To Hold the Level
To hold the level, steady and true,
Is to walk the path where truth breaks through.
When the ground shifts wild and veers astray,
Truth flows onward, finding its way.It bends ’round lies, unshaken, clear,
A quiet stream that all can hear.
It wears away the hardest stone,
Carving justice where none was shown.Truth holds no weight of rage or pride,
But shapes the world from deep inside.
By yielding, it breaks what force cannot,
Leaving behind what time forgot.In its flow, the barren blooms,
Lush green rises from what entombs.
Its steady course will not be swayed,
No matter the shadows, the truth is displayed.So hold the level, let truth abide,
Through torrents strong, it will not hide.
Though slow, its course will always prove,
The unmovable can and must be moved.
