THE LIE by Anne Waldman

I was very compelled by this poem maybe because of my artistic background. It seems to me it is an artistic manifesto, the speaker trying to suggest the incipient moment of creation is nothing but a lie which will ultimately doubt the validity of an artistic work if its foundation is outside the realm of reality. It's based on the buddist belief that everything is an illusion and it appears to be something different than it actually is. We can find the same Buddhist elements in Make Up On An Empty Space.

The poem's theme also transcends not being limited to the art as an entity but using the art as an intrinsic part of the world, of the human existence which is also illusory.

"You fluctuate in an artful body

You try to imitate the world’s glory

Art begins with a lie

That’s the story, sharp speck in the eye."
The fluctuation, the artful body, the imitation - they are all elements sustaining the idea of illusion, of what appears is not what the essence truly is. The ending of the poem is very relevant, the sharp speck in the eye implying not only the hindered view but also the pain that comes with this realization.