Now a Fastball, Now a Curve

Truth sometimes
is undeniable and direct,
a high, hard fastball
under your chin,
landing you on your back
in the dirt
at the catcher's feet,
or a sweeping curve
spinning off
the outside corner,
clearly out of reach.

But often,
and always
in clutch situations
that matter most,
it's a splitter,
rocketing toward you
like an unmistakable
two-seamer
heading straight
into your power alley,
then dropping,
unexpectedly
and unavoidably,
into the inescapable
surprise and mystery
of the unknown.