Design for poster and cover of The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. Édouard Manet (French, Paris 1832–1883 Paris). Written by Edgar Allan Poe (American, Boston, MA 1809–1849 Baltimore, MD). Translated by Stéphane Mallarmé (French, 1842–1898). 1875. Transfer lithograph on
simili-parchment. 12 3/4 x 11 1/4 in. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
King of Candor
The raven is wounded
by the story that dismisses
his story with us. Perched
on a branch above
in focused stillness.
How does he know
what is true, what isn’t?
How does he sense
what we will believe
so he may trick us? Like I
might trick my starving
belly into believing the fresh
blueberry jam is not tantalizing,
would not taste delicious,
or stop my yearning hunger.
The raven wears the crown
truth begged him to grasp,
raise, slip invisible onto his head.
One cannot make jokes,
play pranks, laugh at others,
make others laugh at themselves,
without knowing what is true.
And ravens, wisdom givers,
their stand-ins, know
the persistence of truth.
That it cannot be escaped.
That it can wound, conquer,
divert, destroy, or save.
The raven knows inside
its body when it takes
flight how air upholds.
The raven on highest branch
now observing, is taking
truth in with each breath.
Pinning truth with needle-
vision. Alerting the world with
every squawk. Tricking us into
accepting truth's company.
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