Two banners rose above the square: One crimson red, one midnight fair. Each captain cried, “The choice is plain! Stand here with us—or there remain!” One praised the king, one cursed his name, and neither side would grant a grain. For every thought beneath the sun must fit within the chosen one. Pick a banner! Pick a side! There is nowhere else to hide! If you’re not with us, understand—You surely serve the other band! Pick a banner! Choose it fast! Each thought you think must now be cast! Praise us wholly, curse them too—There are only sides of two! A mason said, “The king did well To mend the bridge beside the dell. But taxing bread was poorly done—" Both armies shouted, “JUST PICK ONE!” The reds cried, “Traitor! Black at heart!” The blacks cried, “Friend! You’ve done your part!” He waved his hands. “You’ve heard me wrong! I praised one thing and damned one wrong!” Pick a banner! Pick a side! There's sadly nowhere else to hide! If you’re not with us, understand—You surely serve the other band! Pick a banner! Choose it fast! Each thought you think must now be cast! Praise us wholly, curse them too—For there are only sides of two! A woman said, “Their plan is sound but half their reasons have no ground And though your rival’s cause is poor, He made one point I can’t ignore.” The reds declared, “She’s one of THEM!” The blacks replied, “A loyal gem!” She sighed, “By Heaven, must I be a traitor when I disagree?” Now hold! Before you cheer for me, there’s one more fool we ought to see. For on the fence sat Goodman Grey, who proudly never chose a way. “If one says fire and one says snow, the truth is lukewarm rain, you know! If one says two and one says four, why surely three’s what truth is for!” …No. The truth is not a market stall where wisdom means to split it all. If one man lies and one speaks true, half of each will not quite do. A coward may avoid the fight and call his trembling “balanced sight.” To weigh both claims is wisdom’s art—But weighing means you still take part. Drop the banner! Use your head! And hear what every side has said! Praise what’s good and name what’s wrong, though neither camp will sing along! Drop the banner! Think it through! You need not swallow all they do! But when all evidence is weighed—Have the spine to choose your grade! The reds still shouted, “Black or white!” The blacks still swore, “We alone are right!” While Goodman Grey, atop his fence, mistook no choice for better sense. The jester bowed to all the three: “You’ve each misplaced your liberty. Two sold their minds to tribe and flag—One locked his own inside a bag.” Pick no banner for its hue! Pick the things you judge are true! You may applaud a foe today and tell a friend he’s gone astray! Think in colors, shades, and light—Call wrong things “wrong” and right things “right”! For wisdom isn’t left or right—Nor hiding safely out of sight. So if they cry, “Choose us or them!” Just smile and answer back again: “I’ll choose each question as it stands—My mind belongs to neither band.”
