Dont Be Fooled by Me

8/21/2019 Dont Be Fooled by Me

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Don’t Be Fooled By Me

by Charles C. Finn, As read by Roscoe on WBAI, April 1967

Please don't be ooled by !e. "on't be ooled by the ace I#ear, or I #ear a !as$. I #ear a tho%sand !as$s, !as$s

that I'! araid to ta$e o& and none o the! are !e.

Pretendin is an art that is second nat%re to !e, b%t don't be

ooled, or (od's sa$e don't be ooled.

I i)e yo% the i!pression I'! sec%re and that all is s%nny

and %nr%*ed #ith !e, #ithin as #ell as #itho%t, that

con+dence is !y na!e, coolness !y a!e, that #ater iscal! and I'! in co!!and and that I need no one, b%t don't

belie)e !e, please don't belie)e !e.

y s%race !ay be s!ooth, b%t !y s%race is a !as$--!y

e)ery )aryin and e)er concealin !as$. Beneath it d#ells

the real con%sion, ear and aloneness. Beneath lies !y

s!%ness, !y co!placently, b%t I hide this--I don't #ant

anyone to $no# it.

I panic at the tho%ht o !y #ea$ness and ear bein

eposed. /hat's #hy I rantically created a !as$ to hide

behind-- nonchalant sophisticated acades to help !e

pretend-- to shield !e ro! the lance that $no#s-- b%t s%ch

a lance is precisely !y sal)ation, !y only sal)ation and I

$no# it. /hat is i it's ollo#ed by acceptance. I it's ollo#ed

by lo)e, it's the only thin that can liberate !e ro! !ysel,

ro! !y o#n sel b%ilt prison #alls and ro! the barriersthat I so painsta$inly erect. It's the only thin that #ill

ass%re !e o #hat I cannot ass%re !ysel, that I'! really

#orth #hile, b%t I don't tell yo% this, I don't dare--I'! araid

to.

I'! araid that yo%r lance #ill not be ollo#ed by

acceptance and lo)e. I'! araid yo%'ll thin$ less o !e and

yo%'ll la%h and yo%r la%h #ill $ill !e. I'! araid that deep


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do#n, I'! nothin and that I'! 0%st no ood and that yo%'ll

see this and re0ect !e.

o I play !y a!e2 !y desperate pretendin2 #ith the

acade o ass%rance #itho%t and a tre!blin child #ithin.And so beins the parade o !as$s, the litterin, b%t e!pty

parade o !as$s and !y lie beco!es a ront. I idle chatter

to yo% in s%a)e tones o s%race tal$. I tell yo% e)erythin

that's really nothin and nothin o #hat's e)erythin and

#hat's cryin #ithin !e.

o #hen I'! thro%h oin thro%h !y ro%tine, do not be

ooled by #hat I'! sayin. Please listen care%lly and try to

hear #hat I'! not sayin--#hat I'd li$e to be able to say, b%t

or s%r)i)al I need to say, b%t #hat I can't say.

I disli$e hidin, honestly, I disli$e the s%per+cial a!e I'!

playin, the s%per+cial phony a!e. I'd really li$e to be

en%ine, spontaneo%s and !e, b%t yo%')e ot to help !e,

yo%')e ot to hold o%t yo%r hand, e)en #hen it's the last

thin I see! to #ant or need.

3o% can help #ipe a#ay ro! !y eyes--the blan$ stare o

rie)in dead. 3o% can help call !e into ali)eness each ti!e

yo%'re $ind, entle and enco%rain. 4ach ti!e yo% try to

%nderstand beca%se yo% really care, !y heart beins to

ro# #ins, )ery s!all #ins, )ery eeble #ins, b%t #ins.

Ii yo% choose to, please choose to. 3o% can help brea$ do#n

the #all behind #hich I tre!ble. 3o% can enco%rae !e to

re!o)e !y !as$. 3o% can help release !e ro! !y

shado#ed #orld o panic and %ncertainty. Fro! !y lonely

prison.

o do not pass !e by-- please don't pass !e by. It #ill not be

easy or yo%. A lone con)iction o #orthlessness b%ilds

stron #alls. /he nearer yo% approach !e, the blinder I !ay

stri$e bac$.


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It's irrational, b%t despite #hat boo$s say abo%t !an, I a!

irrational, I +ht aainst the )ery thins that I cry o%t or, b%t

I a! told lo)e is stroner than stron #alls. In this lies !y

hope, !y only hope, please help beat do#n those #alls #ith

+r! hands, b%t #ith entle hands--or a child is )erysensiti)e.

Who a! I, yo% !ay #onder5 I a! so!eone yo% $no# )ery

#ell. For I a! e)ery !an yo% !eet and I a! e)ery #o!en

yo% !eet.

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Dont Be Fooled by Me