Charlatan

Joe Strickland 1986 (Hobbysville, SC)



He lives in a house full of snakes,
Charlatan, conman, the ultimate fake.
He loves them all, or so it seems,
Treating them like family, fulfilling his dreams.

But beneath the surface, a secret lies,
Hidden away from prying eyes.
A dark and terrible truth he buries,
Like the venomous snakes he carries.

His love for them, a twisted facade,
A mask to hide the truth so flawed.
The snakes, a symbol, of his deceit,
A warning sign for all who meet.

His secret, a weight, he cannot bear,
A burden, he can't help but share.
In the end, it will consume him whole,
An inevitable fate, he can't control.

So he plays his game, with skill and grace,
Convincing others of his warm embrace.
But the snakes, they know the truth,
A warning to all, in search of proof.

Charlatan, conman, soon to fall,
Exposed, for all to see, his downfall.
His house of snakes, a symbol of his lies,
A warning to all, to beware the disguise
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Written on May 15, 2023

Submitted by JoeStrickland on May 15, 2023

59 sec read
6

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXAA BBCC XXDD EEFF GGXX HHBB
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 914
Words 197
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Joe Strickland

I'm just a regular, blue collar, working stiff who took an interest in writing poetry many years ago but until recently I haven't had a desire to share any with anyone or pursue publication. I'm an unpublished fork lift operator by night, and a day drinker by choice. I can be followed on Twitter @JoeStricklandSC more…

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    "Charlatan" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/159485/charlatan>.

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