double bind

the names of gods are hidden from the folk
by priests who need to raise their voices high
to hide the weight that they wish to apply
and the great absence of what they evoke
we'd think it all some sort of painful joke
until we hear the worshippers all sigh
not knowing that they take part in a lie
not feeling either the whip or the yoke
the slave insists that she can feel no chain
all normal cycles are proclaimed as proof
of benign powers that by secret art
provide a blessing with the sun and rain
create the sky as their majestic roof
and know the secrets of the human heart