Published in Overland Issue 208 Spring 2012 Main Posts Honesty Tim Thorne Sometimes the voices in your head aren’t telling you the whole truth. Sometimes even your drugs and lovers lie. ‘The best policy’ might well be the one you’ve taken out on someone else’s life. Nightmares and comic strips, old spouses’ tales: fake fur is more honest than blood on snow. Authenticity, New York City, Felicity Kendal are all urban myths. When I was a teacher the really smart kids saw through ‘Hard work brings rewards.’ But then, I’ve always told lies for a living: dole forms, poetry, I once wrote a column for a Murdoch paper. When General Millán-Astray cried ‘Long live death!’ he was sincere. By their fruits … Today a few of these fruits: skulls, a finger, maybe a thousand fragments are ripe of the quarter million who were testament to the general’s truth to himself. They are being picked and by their DNA we know them. Millán-Astray’s wife only revealed after their wedding her wish to remain a virgin. ‘Death to intelligence!’ was his other slogan. We still use ‘clever’ as an insult. Tim Thorne Tim Thorne’s fourteenth and most recent poetry collection is The Unspeak Poems and other verses (Walleah Press, 2014). In 2012 he was awarded the Christopher Brennan Award for his contribution to Australian poetry. More by Tim Thorne Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays First published in Overland Issue 228 11 November 202211 November 2022 Main Posts On the last day of Subscriberthon, our amazing online editor gives you one last (very good) reason to subscribe Editorial team What's in store for the last day of Subscriberthon? First published in Overland Issue 228 10 November 202210 November 2022 Main Posts On the second-last day of Subscriberthon, our favourite editor-duo give you reason #1002 to subscribe to Overland Editorial team What's in store for the second-last day of Subscriberthon?