All is well that ends well
What a load of tripe!
It begs the belief (misbegotten)
that what’s in the past
Is of no matter now
If results are favourable
War is forgivable then
So long as peace results?
Abusers are okay too
If they are caught
(the harm they did is naught!)
All is well that ends well
Politicians party as covid victims die
And then we should believe
Their brazen bare-faced lie
All is well that ends well
Tell that to mothers of children dead
Or the orphans lost into the state
Or the homes engulfed by flame
To save a few pennies but not the shame
All is well that ends well
Of course you might say that
If you lived in a bubble
Or were pulled from a magicians hat
But don’t tell it to the man
Whose city turns to rubble
Or the musician whose joyful song
Is replaced by dirgeful lament
Or the elephant banging her head
Against a brick wall
Her days of ‘entertainment’
An axe waiting to fall
Or the cow who crys for her babe
Because her milk is not for a calf
All is well that ends well
Don’t make me laugh!

Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that argues against, or somehow questions, a proverb or saying. They say that “all cats are black at midnight,” but really? Surely some of them remain striped. And maybe there is an ill wind that blows some good. Perhaps that wind just has some mild dyspepsia. Whatever phrase you pick, I hope you have fun complicating its simplicity. Happy writing!