Brian Rihlmann writes

THE SOPHIST

in the daytime melodrama 

of my imagination 

you appear frequently
like a Shakespearean device
a witch or a madwoman
whispering asides to the audience

acting as the mouthpiece
of the protagonist’s doubts
about the validity
of his selfspun myth
his reasons and excuses

the words on your lips
are straight from the shadowed corners
and crevices of his soul
maddening in their cruelty
and truth

onstage
he slays your arguments
with superior rhetoric
whittles them down
to useless nubs
as you slink away

but soon return
with newfound confidence
and a knowing smile

The Sophist --  Richard T. Scott