#920 On The Duplicitous Dealer

They come with smiles rehearsed, their offers set,
A table dressed in false civility,
Who reads the room and corners you — and yet
They call it choice, this forced humility.
The terms arrive like verdicts, cold and sealed,
No room to breathe, no margin left to turn,
The hand extended only to be steeled —
Comply or watch the bridges start to burn.
How clean their conscience sleeps, how well they feed
On spoils dressed up as generosity,
Who profits most from someone else’s need
And calls the whole transaction victory.
But justice has a long and patient gait —
God help them when it finally finds their gate.