THE TRUTH HUNTERS
Five o’clock in the camp of the Truth hunters:
Talk, round and smooth as party balloons
drifting on the evening air; almost casual, yes,
beneath a fog of urgency. Seasoned veterans all
beneath the canopy, canap s in hand, martinis, gin
of only the highest calibre arming to encounter the countess
and the earl of Central Park. Such august company!
Five o’clock, the hunting time is near:
Talk turns to Truth, as lightly as the hand that lifts a canapé,
eyed critically before devouring, signalling the waiter
to bring more; glasses, sweat-beaded, float
nearby upon a tray, shadow monkeys overhead,
blood moon rising. The hunt begins, well choreographed,
an air of stalking, beaters, the less-favoured, there to flush the prey
—talk turns to Truth, almost casual, yes, as if
Semele beholding Jupiter had never turned to ashes.
Author’s Bio
Leland James is the author of seven books of poetry and a book on poetry craft. He has published over 200 poems worldwide, in such journals as The Lyric, Rattle, and The London Magazine. He has won and received honors in many international poetry competitions. Leland has been featured in Ted Koozer’s American Life in Poetry and was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize. www.lelandjamespoet.com