They would deny it, of course,
just as their progeny do today,
but so many of the ills of this age
can be laid at the feet of the Greeks.
Two of their inventions have led us
into the hellscape we call this
abnormal world in which we live.
The first, of course, was
the invention of politics, politika
the Greeks labeled it,and alone
it made sense and was of value.
But then they created the other,
hypocrisy, or as they called it
hypokrisis, playing a part of one
you are not, and the wedding of the two
has spelled disaster for centuries.
And now, the connection unseen,
our politicians seem to think they
need to take an oath of office,
but won’t acknowledge the oath
they swear in private would best
be called the hypocritic oath.