Chicanery and Wonder.

There is no such thing as victory 

said my mother.

There are only little vanquishes.

And when I began to understand 

the significance of that

I resolved to set about

vanquishing only

vanquishable 

things.

Fuck those guys.

those bad apple schemers

without a full soul between them

who deal blows 

that hurt in places 

you didn’t know

you had.

Take my word for it

they’re always up to no good.

And believe me, 

you’d know a subterfuge 

If you saw one.

It might be walking down the street

In grey pants and a puffer jacket

You’d think AHA.

That’s a fine bit of chicanery 

right there 

Subterfuge Personified. 

And you would give it a wide berth. 

And right there that would be your

little vanquish for the day.

And you’d say to yourself 

Thank you, Mom.

I get it.

Fuck those guys.

Ayn Rand said “I can't compete and when I do, 

the rules of engagement change in the middle of the game. 

I'll let the powers that be vanquish themselves and return 

in three to five years to sift through the remains." 

My mother is not like Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand is not like my mother

although they both liked to read 

and they knew a thing or two

about all manner of vanquishes:

Such as how to give 

a wide berth

to the big ones

and the small ones

so we could walk with wonder

through the remains.