In defense of hypocrisy

People who cry "hypocrisy"
are the ones offended by the fact
that others don't even want to be
self-righteous - a game they all think
they're so good at. They say, they see

"First women say they hate being hit on
and then they flirt!" or

"First Dempublicans hate Repocrats
doing that - then they do it!"

As if all of them say it, or hate it,
or do it.

As if saying it's bad could make doing it
worse.

I think that's it. Their self-righteousness

is a nasty, sarcastic, cynical pose. They believe

it is only believing its wrong
that can make an act wrong. As if

in a world without clothes, we would all
quite naturally become prudes.

As if it's a curse to be able to choose, if
we also say why we choose?

As if the worst is to even presume
we can know why we choose, or say why we do.

What offends them is that you can tell right from wrong,
at all. Not any amount of the wrong you do.

The sin is to tell.

The sin is to say that there's anything wrong to do.

Well I guess we're all sinners then. Big surprise?
Not so much. But we're better off able to tell, I judge.
And we're better for hearing the arguments, to decide

for ourselves,
in consequence,
which of them make sense.

We feel our way up by touch.

And sometimes judge poorly, do badly, do wrong.
Do the very damn thing that we knew all along,
and said as much: it is bad to do.
But at least,
to be able to know all along.
At least to accept
where we have gone wrong. And confess

to each other, come clean. Try again,
and tarnish anew.

Instead of complaining, in rich, dripping tones
at any who dares to suggest to you
there are things that can stain us at all,
or that we could amend, or atone
where we fall.

To say there are things we should try not to do.
It's offensive to them, to hear this
from you, or from anyone else
who they know is wrong.

Which is perfectly naturally, everyone.

You must practice perfection or not
preach at all! Say these bright Pharisees
of high dudgeon and moral appall.

The doctor whose practice consists in advice
took a hypocritical oath, since he smokes!
But he tells others not to smoke!

That's not right! That's not nice!

Yes, he knows it's not right.
So he tells you it's not, you dope.

Make up your mind, hypocrite,
imbecile:

Do you,
or do you not want a light?

At the end of your rope,
you can hang, or mope, or swing
as you please. You can say what is right
or is wrong, you can say why you choose. Yes,
even to me. For my part, I can tell you
what's right from wrong, myself.

We can both compare notes,

easily, in bottles or staves
and drink to intoxication, in time

to the music it makes
where we disagree.

For who are we, anyway?

To tell right from wrong?

You are you, of course.

I'm me. Who else?

If you don't mind my asking.

And if it's important, what matters most
to you, why wouldn't you tell?

Afraid, to be hung by your own decree?

Charge! Try, be acquitted
as best you can

of hypocrisy.