I will make promises that I cannot keep
(heroic promises)
I will break promises that I do not remember making
(forgotten promises)
I will fake promises that I have no intention of fulfilling
(political promises)
I will make promises to myself which I will never articulate
(hidden promises)
I will promise you the earth in this moment and mean it with all my heart, even if I know my promise can never be realised
(impossible promises)
I will promise you anything if you give me what I want right now
(dirty promises)
I will promise you anything if you stop hurting me right now
(desperate promises)
I will promise to love, honour and obey you till death do us part
(contractual promises)
I will promise you my eternal soul if you open up your pearly gates
(sacred promises)
I will promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of one dollar
(devalued promises)
Question: If I promise to remember you every day until the day I die, but one day forget you, will the whole edifice of my life come crashing down and destroy me?
What is a promise anyway but a form of words? An intention (real or imaginary) to carry out an act. A commitment to stand by one’s word. A bond of trust. A negotiating strategy between proven liars and psychopaths. A con trick. A power play. A self-deceit. A devil in disguise. A quixotic knight. A leap of faith. A work of art. A poetic vision. A sorcerer’s spell. A utopian ideal grasping for truth and perfection. A token of love tainted by the near certainty of disappointment and betrayal.
Promises may be true OR false.
They may also be true AND false at the same time.
Will you believe my promises and return them – sweet angel, sweet devil?
Please don’t hold them against me. For I am only a man and easily broken, like the fragile promises I sometimes make and do not keep.
06 August 2018