Victor Buhagiar Poet Free verse

A Parasite of a Scrounger

He formulated a delicate scheme,
So that he could obtain vital funds 
From gullible, if friendly virtual persons
And spend his life in idle, useless pastimes.

In his egregious vanity, he concocted stories.
Thus, he would meditate on pulling strings
Of his listeners' consciences.

Insane in his delirium, he would meditate
His famous tales read newspapers for inspiration,
Send messages to all he judged to be ripe
For a monetary gift to help assuage his need:

Alas, not many took the bait.
Occasionally, someone would send 	
A miserable donation.  Until he found
His haven in an old kindly woman who felt pity
And send him a thousand-dollar gift.
Profound words of thanks ensued.	
He was courteous hoping to get more,
Inventing a lack of funds to rent his home.


FICTION?

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Jennifer Proxenos April 13, 2026 at 9:41 AM Shame poor old lady, she must have been very lonely, very rich, very gullible and it didn't look as if her character would change anytime soon - this man was gambling on his last request, I wonder what she decided to say or do. Hugs to you Victor, JENNIFER.

Paige Hind April 12, 2026 at 9:59 PM wow, that's strange lol

Silent One April 12, 2026 at 11:53 AM Have to be careful of these people.. there are so many around.. so many who scam people... You wrote about it very well..

Mike Bayles April 12, 2026 at 8:10 AM Your poem did a great job of taking me into a world of deception. It was interesting to see the scammer's point of view. And yes, I know a lonely man who allowed himself to be scammed for many years. I used to rent a room for him, and he never had any money to take care of his house. The people around the scammer are also victimized.

Andrea Dietrich April 11, 2026 at 3:19 PM It's very sad that many like this exist in our world. My daughter's husband got taken in by a scammer and they lost everything. Had to sell their house. Now my daughter is divorced and living with us. Remember Natalyn her daughter that used to be on Soup? She and her siblings are here with us too. My daughter has met a man now who has a smarter head on his shoulders and much better suited to her, so it worked out for the best!

Heidi Sands April 11, 2026 at 1:52 PM Sadly there are too many . Well done :)

Valsa George April 10, 2026 at 1:38 AM There are parasites in the society who are manipulators and who thrive on other's gullibility. Keep such people at bay.

sara Etgen-Baker April 9, 2026 at 4:41 PM preying on unsuspecting folks is despicable in my mind. Well crafted poem.

Evelyn Judy Buehler April 9, 2026 at 12:47 PM It's so heartless the way some prey on the elderly Your story is powerful, sad and unforgettable. Best wishes.

Paula Goldsmith April 9, 2026 at 9:56 AM Your "A Parasite of a Scrounger" is a wonderful write/story." Over the years, this has been true for many. Guess it is still going on. Have a great day writing away...........

I Am Anaya April 9, 2026 at 9:17 AM Low and behold, the wretched snakes that fool the souls of those good deed doers. The end game, we mustn't fall for. Question is it fiction? Bowled over Victor Buhagiar April 9, 2026 at 9:49 AM It happened to others.

Daniel Henry Rodgers April 9, 2026 at 9:04 AM Hello Victor, I’ve sat across from that kind of calculated vanity more times than I’d like to admit, the type that views empathy as a resource to be harvested rather than a connection. There’s a particular brand of exhaustion that comes from watching a predator mistake a person's kindness for "gullibility." Loved reading this morning! Blessings, Daniel

Tom Cunningham April 9, 2026 at 5:39 AM The Internet is infested with scum like that, its getting to the stage where you can't trust anyone. I've given to reputable charity sites and just hope they're genuine. Tom

Sara Kendrick April 9, 2026 at 5:17 AM Well, a person from Nigeria, pulled that scheme on a person I knew. A widow lady who was promised to receive a million dollars if she would send him money for this and money for that which she did wanting to get the million dollars. Well, she told her nieces and nephews that she had something going and if it went through, they would all be fixed for life. Well, they found her one morning with a bullet to her head. It breaks my heart every time I think about it. You have done good with this. Sara Sara Kendrick April 12, 2026 at 4:56 AM Thank you, Anaya..It was really hard on her family and since she was my son-in-law's aunt and I knew her it affected me in quite a profound way. Also, she had not been long in coming to my daughter's house to share a meal with them and I was also there. The GBI and police/or sheriff came they confiscated the computer and phone she owned to see if they could find out any information about who was responsible for the crime, but they told the family that they probably would never know and could not prosecute if they did find out because it was in another country. Sara K I Am Anaya April 9, 2026 at 9:16 AM Omg, Sara, this is heartbreaking. Money isn't worth precious life