Indelible Interest

The gilded hall, a whispered trade, Where loyalties, like shadows, fade. No constant sun, no steadfast star, But shifting tides and distant war. A handshake firm, a knowing glance, A woven web of circumstance. The spoken word, a silken lie, Reflected in a watchful eye. The parchment signed, the treaty sealed, A fragile pact soon to be peeled. For power's dance, a restless sway, Where yesterday's ally turns astray. No enemy etched in granite stone, No friend enshrined upon a throne. But currents deep that twist and turn, Where self's desire will fiercely burn. The nation's voice, a distant hum, While deals are struck and fortunes come. A tapestry of gain and loss, Where pocket reigns and counts the cost. The masks descend, the speeches flow, A calculated measured show. And underneath the truth remains, A constant chase for shifting gains. No hallowed ground, no sacred tie, Just fleeting moments passing by. The game unfolds with practiced ease, "Permanent interest," the only pleas. ©bfa032825