They cultivate an aura of ambiguity,
leaving the truth cloaked in fog
that bends with every breeze,
ever-shifting to suit
the whims of convenience.

This being vague is
no deception of others,
but a self-delusion, you understand,
and a refusal to stop
drifting aimlessly above
the solid ground of principle.

By leaving the truth open
to interpretation,
they reserve the right to pivot,
to rewrite and to redefine,
thereby not only betraying
others’ trust
but also their own being.

For in the depths of
their own hearts,
they know that to stand
for anything is like being
bound by conviction,
and so they trade firm ground
for the fleeting shelter
of a passing cloud.

Their words wind through
labyrinths of mirrored reflections,
refracting meanings that
splinter and distort,
making it possible
for one person to speak
several truths at once.

But eventually,
this kind of impotence reveals
something deeper:
it shows that these individuals
are willing to betray the roots
of their integrity
to avoid the weight of discomfort—
when perhaps it
would have been better
if they had just stated clearly
what they meant instead.

Those who engage in such pretenses
do not lie before others,
but rather lie before themselves,
undermining their own character
with each evasion.