Fate treats bright folk with harsh disdain,  
Life kicks them hard, dispensing pain;
Yet thinking folks must still obey  
The rules fools write for every day.

There are the laws, which we instate,  
To keep the order in the state; 
Then fools get in and change the laws,  
For their sake and profit’s growth.

And are these fools, or are they crooks?  
With masks of fools, to hide true looks,  
To hook you in with tricks and lies,  
To trip you into fateful ties.

Oh, simple fools they are just not,  
For where they stand, be they can not:  
They’re wicked tricksters; kind, they’re not;  
They shatter lives without a thought.

So, pay attention when they decry,  
Or promise riches high as sky,  
An easy life, with mounds of gold,  
And of nirvana they foretold.

Peek under veil of their deceit,  
And you will see their bare feet,  
And you will see just how they stand,  
And you will know how to defend.

                  Paul Pinkhasik, July 22, 2024

                  illustration by DALL-E