All of This Is Made Up

Not just the fictions,
Not just the falsehoods,
Not just blatant lies—

Every sign, symbol,
Name, conversation,
Even the truest

Explanations—all
Of this is made up.
Sometimes it’s tailored

To fit the firm world,
Like clothes that breathe well
And move with the real.

Sometimes it’s piffle
For entertainment,
Or to be subtle

In its loveliness,
Or to win converts
To made-up ideals,

Or just to see what
The made-up can do.
It’s all of those things,

All of those functions,
But it’s all made up
So it can do them,

Which means you as you
Have to be a you,
Which is made up, too.