Villanelle Nr.09 — A Question Of Definition

      
He said he called a spade a spade      
but ‘facts’ can vary quite a lot      
since definitions can be vague      
       
and as the arguments are weighed      
the truth is often hard to spot -      
he said he called a spade a spade.      
       
Consider laws and how they’re made      
which lawyers twist, then leave to rot      
since definitions can be vague      
       
and look how science fails the grade      
one day a ‘fact’, next day it’s not -      
he said he called a spade a spade.      
       
Examine wordsmiths and their trade      
the double-meanings in their plots      
since definitions can be vague …      
       
to nail it down is retrograde      
yet some still claim “to know what’s what!”      
He said he called a spade a spade      
but definitions can be vague.