Understanding Allegory
Allegory is a difficult thing to understand
When the story being told is your reflection in a mirror.
What point is there to be made of this sad tale?
Reflections tell you only what you want to see,
Rarely giving hints of what lies dark behind the glass.
Beyond that silvered backing Is where the truth be known.
And when you peek behind it to discover
Why you are so sad and desperately lonely,
The truth escapes like shadows in the night
Leaving no trace of what you saw before.
Allegory is a story spoken in another tongue,
A language both familiar and obscure,
Pre-Rosetta Hieroglyphs etched in sandstone,
A moral told in other words and left for you to ponder,
Or consider meaning, discover truth, uncover hidden lies.
A disguise to masquerade a certain verity
That you may have forgotten or so long ignored.
It is a game of hide and seek where
All are in plain sight but nigh impossible to see.
A game with clues to follow, to find the hidden nugget
That reveals its true purpose.
And before you know it, you are being taught a lesson,
One you had no idea was there when you began.
Often allegory is as plain as a splash of cold water.
But it can be subtle too, tracing steps that guide you
Until the great reveal casts light upon the path,
That “Eureka” moment stripping off the mask
Blowing away the smoke before the mirrored glass.
Allegory tells a story that is not quite true
But wants to pretend things are as they are shown
In hopes that you will see them for what they are
And discover a more truthful reflection
In the mirror.