There is, as every child knows,
A perfect answer to every question
When the question and the answer
Are set down by the same person.
A sceptic always questions
But likes none of the answers.
The faithful never question;
For they are afraid of answers.
The dumb have no questions,
The wise know there are no answers.
The slave never asks a question
As he has learned the answers
The hard way under pain of death.
The criminal may not answer
For fear of self-incrimination,
The judge need not answer,
For the law is infallible.
The king will brook no question
As he is answerable to none.
A subject may ask only such questions
That do not embarrass the ruler
Or put national security in danger.
To ask a question that has no answer
Is to ask for revolution or a life of misery.
The best questions are those
That do not question,
And the best answers are those
That do not answer.
***
Madras Courier originally ran as a broadsheet with a poetry section. It was a time when readers felt comfortable sharing glimpses of their lives through verse. If you have a poem you’d like to submit, do email us at [email protected].
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