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Two Times Two Is Four

Now Kierkegaard once wrote a book,
__Entitled Either/Or,
But for myself, I only know,
__That two times two is four.

For though the oceans brim with blood,
__Foretold in ancient lore,
The word still stands through bitter scorn,
__That two times two is four.

That though the skies may melt with fire,
__And blacken heaven’s door,
The truth abides within itself,
__That two times two is four.

My words are weak, my meter quaint,
__My rhymes are very poor,
I am not worthy to proclaim,
__That two times two is four.

That though life be but bitterness,
__And I may be a bore,
It may be wormwood and a gall,
__But two times two is four.

.

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T.M.A. Day is in formation for the Catholic priesthood in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, Indiana.

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14 Responses

  1. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Logic has become a tragic loss in these days of corruption and hypocrisy by the body politic and its leaders. I commend you on your poems that seems to point to the timeless value of logic.

    Reply
  2. Cheryl Corey

    Your meter may be “quaint”, but the message is spot on. Love it!

    Reply
  4. Julian D. Woodruff

    What a coincidence!–your truth and mine agree! I like your “just the facts” plainness.

    Reply
  5. Alan Orsborn

    Your poem is very deep and says a lot. Despite the propaganda, the gaslighting, the pressure to not believe our lying eyes, there are certain immutable facts. Your poem reminded me of something that Dostoevsky puts into the mouth of the sociopathic Underground Man in Notes from Underground, a fitting epigraph:

    “I agree that two times two makes four is an excellent thing; but if we are dispensing praise, then two times two makes five is sometimes a most charming little thing as well.”

    Reply
  6. Russel Winick

    Great poem – sure to get you placed on “progressive” dartboards!

    Reply
  7. jd

    Enjoyed your like-minded poem, T.M.A. I wish you blessings in your holy endeavor and have added your name to my prayercard for Priests.

    Reply
  8. Joseph S. Salemi

    It’s interesting that Orwell brought up this same point in his novel 1984, where part of the main character’s torture was being compelled with electric shocks to say that four fingers were five. At one point when the pain was unbearable, he screamed “Yes! Yes! There are five fingers!” His torturer said “Not good enough. You can’t just say it to avoid pain. You have to BELIEVE it, internally.”

    Orwell, as usual, was prescient about ideological totalitarianism and how it is not satisfied with rote, external acceptance of a lie. The left-liberals insist that you must be completely psyched into believing it and accepting it as gospel truth.

    This is why one of the most counter-revolutionary political acts you can do right now is to call out — publicly and loudly — that left-liberal orthodoxy is a tissue of lies. Say it in poetry, say it in prose, or just say it bluntly in someone’s face. Our enemies really fear this, which is why they do everything in their power to shut down and censor and silence us.

    Reply
  9. Cynthia Erlandson

    Delightful! And your rhymes aren’t “poor” at all !

    Reply
  10. Margaret Coats

    In the central stanza here, where fiery skies may blacken heaven’s door, there seems to be an allusion opposed to what Jesus promises when He says the “gates of Hell” shall not prevail against the Church. The situation opposing simple truth is truly desperate when battle is taking place at Heaven’s door, rather than at the gates of Hell, where the war against evil and falsehood ought to take place. This subtle touch develops emotion and helps to demonstrate the speaker’s heavenly firmness in this truth-telling poem.

    Reply
  11. Phil S. Rogers

    Unfortunately America seems to have become a nation where logic and common sense no longer rule. Great poem. Thank you

    Reply
  12. Joshua C. Frank

    This is great! I work in math, so I really appreciate the refrain. Your rhymes are hardly “poor!”

    It’s a shame that the world is now so set against basic truth that there are actually people who claim that math is inherently racist, let alone various other basic truths that fly in the face of modern “thinking.”

    Also, it’s nice to hear that you’re in formation for the Catholic priesthood. We need more priests!

    Reply
  13. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    I really like this poem – it lets me know that in this increasingly mad, bad world there’s hope. Thank you!

    Your words of truth (so prized and rare)
    Have filled my heart with glee.
    If two times two are four then there
    Are signs of sanity.

    Reply
  14. C.B. Anderson

    2 x 2 = 7 as far as I’m concerned. I have learned to toe the line and shed the fetters of conventional rationality.

    Reply

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