Charles Spurgeon once said: “Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather, it is telling the difference between right and almost right.”
Almost Right
Yes, there was a time when right
Was never wrong
And the difference between the two
Was easily discernible
It was also thought in times ago
That truth was always best
Cheaters never won
And to bear false witness was a sin
An odor now wafts across our land
Foul and putrid
Soaking into our lives
And even into our hearts and minds
It is the foul odor of decay
Caused by words left out
Or not even close to true or right
The scent of something gone terribly bad
For it is said
Ye will know them by their fruits
And by their actions we see produced
A rotting molding putrid mass
Our foundation crumbles beneath the weight
Of all that is wrong
In a world built on lies
And “truths ” that are merely… almost right
Copyright © 2012 C. Mashburn
Sharing this with Jingle Poetry @ Olive Garden ~ Week 26 and dVerse Poets Pub ~ Open Link Night Week #34
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Marbles In My Pocket ~ The Official Blog of Charles L. Mashburn ~ Poems, Short Stories, and random thoughts from the author of "Be Still... and know that I am God" 
sillyfrogsusan said
The sins of omission and the policy of “spinning” an argument away from the subject just bust my buttons! So very hard to conduct an adult debate…I hear ya Charles!
charlesmashburn said
Here’s a Charlie original, Susan. Tell me if it makes sense: “If you tell someone a half truth enough times, it soon becomes their reality, while the whole truth becomes an unbelievable lie in their mind.” Kind of like the young man on your FB thread who was so certain in his Socialist “truths”, and everything he said could have been taken straight from Alinky’s Rules for Radicals, or, for that matter, the communist manifesto. Adult debate?? There is no such thing anymore.
sillyfrogsusan said
The only thing that young man has going for him is his curiosity. He is young enough to think he knows everything but is an unfortunate,familiar, product of our liberal biased public schools.
I encourage him and try not to come off too righteous. I want him to keep asking questions.
charlesmashburn said
I’ll have to leave the answering of those questions to you and others more patient than I am. I wish you the utmost success, though, because I do know minds and hearts can be changed, and I am ever hopeful!
Jennifaye said
So true. It’s becoming harder and harder to know the wrong from the almost right.
charlesmashburn said
You will know them by their fruits, Jennifaye!
Thanks for the visit and comment!
Sherry Mashburn said
Little white lies . . . where do they end?
charlesmashburn said
I don’t think they do. Their roots keep sinking deeper, and they grow like weeds. But, you know what happens to weeds.
Edward Fraser said
This is a very provoking piece of writing. I have long been interested in the relationship between, for example, a good course of action and the right course of action.
charlesmashburn said
Good one, Edward! That is very thought provoking, as well! I’m thinking what might seem good is not always right.
Thanks for the visit and great comment!
Kirsten said
Fantastic Charles!!!! I have been the recipient of lies and the perpetrator of lies…the only fruit a lie can bear is bad fruit! And that is the simple truth 🙂
I think the scariest thing about lies is that they have the propensity become our reality (like you mentioned above in a comment response). I don’t know about you, but I’ve spent too much of my life living in a false reality built on lies! I now choose to live my life in God’s truth because it is the only way for the fruit I bear to be edible to others so that they might see God’s truth too! Does that make sense?
charlesmashburn said
I’ve probably been there and done that on just about anything you could bring up, Kirsten. I think we’ve both lived in the same compost heap, but thank God for grace and another shot to bear good fruit! There is no fear in the truth! (And, yes, what you say makes perfect sense!)
Kirsten said
Who knew we were “compost heap” neighbors! lol
I’m so grateful to God for His grace and His second chances.
And thank you for your faithfulness in writing…you are a blessing to me & many others 🙂
charlesmashburn said
Yes’m, we could’ve been decomposing in the same neighborhood!
Me too!
It’s the least I can do.
terri0729 said
I read this earlier and liked it but I guess that I failed to leave you a comment, shame on me!! ‘Cause this is excellent too! A whole lot of truth wrapped up in there 🙂 smiles, Terri
charlesmashburn said
Well, you’re a busy gal, and I understand! Thank you for stopping by again!
Sherrie Theriault said
When you’re right, you’re right!
charlesmashburn said
Right!
Good News Devotions said
Great poem, you always do good writing though. Enjoy’d very much… Blessings Bro Pat.. OH and thanks for sharing.
charlesmashburn said
k you very much for the visit and comment, Bro Pat!
Good News Devotions said
You are very welcome…. Blessings.
darrellcreswell said
Nice..Lets pray for the Lord to guide our hearts to truth – Blessings Darrell
charlesmashburn said
He is truth, if we focus on Him, we will know it.
Mr. Watson said
Love it ! 🙂
charlesmashburn said
Thanks, Craig!
I apprecite the visit and comment!
Pat Hatt said
A rotting molding putrid mass, geez don’t hold it in, let us know what you really think..LOL….great line and yeah not as easy to distinguish as time goes on.
charlesmashburn said
Did I say that? Oh, yeah, I did. Sometimes ya just got to let it out, Pat!
Thanks for the visit and comment!
Mary said
Everytime an election rolls around, the ‘stink’ gets stronger, I think. And then there is the archdiocese here which is being sued by many who have been abused by pedophiles over the years. There is talk of the diocese being “bankrupt” but also strong talk that the diocese is hiding their money in overseas banks. What kind of truth is that?? Sickening how ‘truth’ seems to have changed over the years. Thought-provoking poem.
charlesmashburn said
I agree on the election odor; seems to get worse every year, too. That is disgusting about the archdiocese; especially the money part. The thing is, it’s not truth that has changed, because truth is what it is; the acceptance of lies and half truths that have replaced the truth is where the problem is. Greed and envy are to blame.
Thanks for the visit and comment, Mary!
Daydreamertoo said
A friend of mine and I just had this all out too. I say that she witholds truth knowing that it will have an effect and therefore she just simply witholds information and (to me) it is as much a lie as a lie is itself and when challenged she’ll say, I was going to tell you but I’ve gotten now so that I don’t trust what she says anymore because I don’t know if it’s truth or something else is being with held and, it’s so sad because most of it is silly anyway, but, once trust is shaken too badly, sometimes it just can’t recover.
Nicely said Charles, and yes, if someone says half truths so many times, eventually it becomes the established ‘truth and fact’ and that says a lot about how much of humanity (in the west) has become, self centered and egotistical and selfish. Sad isn’t it!
charlesmashburn said
I don’t think it’s just in the west, but there are probably some places where truth is still revered. But you are right in that the problem has much to do with self centeredness, selfishness, not to mention envy and greed. Yes, it is sad, but not beyond hope.
Thanks for the thought-filled comment, Daydreamer!
Madeleine Begun Kane said
Well said, and all too true. I just stopped by via dVerse.
charlesmashburn said
Glad you stopped by, Madeleine!
brian miller said
true that…sadly…the truth has become owned by the ones that hold it and twisted to meet their ends…it is hard these days to really discern what is true unless you are very careful…
charlesmashburn said
I think we just have to know what’s true to us and hold on to it. I’ve gotten pretty adept at seeing through the BS.
Thanks for the visit and comment, Brian!
ladynimue said
So true !! the “almost truths” have been weakening us day by day .,.
charlesmashburn said
Half truths are nothing but lies with a mask on.
Thanks for the visit and comment!
chiefofleast said
Love me some Spurgeon too; Great poem, I always have an appreciation for original works of poetry. I have a couple of my own I may share someday…
charlesmashburn said
Yes sir! Thanks for the compliment. I love writing poetry, though I don’t plan to ever make any money doing it. The really bad ones far outnumber the kind of good ones. Sherry says I’m my own worst critic though, so I just throw ’em out there.
leah J. Lynn said
This was a a deep read that penetrated my brain, with some compelling truths that we all seem guilty of living at times.
charlesmashburn said
Yes, we are all in the same boat, it seems.
Thanks for the visit and comment!
elizena said
You know I wonder if it’s actually that we can’t tell the difference between right, wrong or almost right, or if it’s just become so much more convenient to pretend or to just go with the flow. I was telling my sister this morning, that sometimes if we’re doing something we know is wrong, we don’t want to be the only one doing it, because then it’s so blazingly obvious that what we’re doing is wrong, but if we can get someone else to join us in what we’re doing, then all of a sudden we can say, “See what I’m doing can’t be that bad if someone else is doing it.” I’ve been there, done that. It took a strong person to stand up and tell me, “You can pretend all you want, you know what you’re doing is wrong.”
I wish it was that easy to fix what’s wrong with our society, but when we have leaders like the ones we have, it darn near impossible.
I mean our leaders and society tell us it’s okay to have sex outside of marriage, just use protection and if you get pregnant, that’s okay too, just terminate the pregnancy. If you kill someone, just plead insanity. If you lie and get caught, that’s okay just tell another lie to cover that one up (the president and most politicians). Oh man, I could go on forever (don’t worry, I won’t. LOL!)
I think the biggest problem is that we allow ourselves to be frightened into not standing up for the truth or into thinking that even if we don’t, someone else will. I think we have remember that if we want the best for our families and our country, fear or not, we have to grit our teeth and stand up and make lots of noise for the truth. Eventually, the more noise we make someone is bound to listen.
Okay, getting off my soap box now. LOL! Have a blessed week.
charlesmashburn said
I agree, the biggest problem is fear. We have allowed ourselves to be convinced that it is unpopular to disagree with “them”. If the MSM and/or government says this is the way it is, we are not allowed to speak our minds otherwise. So much for freedom of speech.
Thanks for the heartfelt comments, Elizena!
Madeleine Begun Kane said
Well said. And so true!
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, Madeleine! I appreciate your visit and comment!