to tell a lie

to tell a lie
is awful
for no good can come
from deprivation
of honesty.
to stave the truth
from the lungs of conversation
is to stave the nature
of conversation itself.
i do not lie
for thieves
or liars
in my like,
but only for
beggars
and those
who need words
to help save them
from the truth
in the preservation
of the things that deserve 
a dishonest chance.
and to tell the truth
i would always rather choose to be the martyr
than ever play the role of the saint.