Poetry
The Conspiracy Theorist’s Mantra
Never shake a hidden hand / if it stinks, bury it / if you don’t want to hear
something, don’t listen / if you don’t want to hear something, nor does anyone else /
there’s always two sides to any story, but you only have time to listen to one of them
/ if you don’t believe the science, chances are it is wrong / if you don’t believe the
science, there is always other science / there’s always a deeper State / dig down /
false flags never fly at half mast / if you don’t believe something, trust your gut / if
someone is criticising your opinion, they are criticising you / rights are absolute /
facts are negotiable / if someone comes to you with stories of dead children, demand
proof / if they show you photos, question the authenticity / if they say they were
there, question their integrity / if they appeal to your humanity, question their
motives / if they appeal to your ethics, question their memory / if you think people
are out to get you, they probably are / if it smells, it’s probably that rat which died in
the skylight / bury it / if you still smell a rat, it’s probably you.
Damen O’Brien
Damen is a multi-award-winning Australian poet. His prizes include The Moth Poetry Prize, the Peter Porter Poetry, and the Cafe Writers Open Poetry Competition. Damen's poems can be found in Aesthetica Literary Journal, Arc Poetry Magazine, Poetry Wales and other journals. His latest book is Walking the Boundary (Pitt Street Poetry, 2024).