Wild Card

I can see through you,
Read the cards in your hand.
I am here to take your money.
Do you believe me to be the strongest, the best?
Well, then, I am, I am.
I scrutinize your every mannerism,
As you give yourself away;
Be you timid, or aggressive,
I catch the false notes.
There you are, stripped bare,
The unsuspecting loser,
Thinking yourself oh-so clever
Even as you throw the game away.
I will step aside to watch you fall in slow motion,
Then kick your corpse with pleasure.
I will mesmerize you; bend your will
to my own
Drive you to suicide then show you
That you held the winning hand after all.

I live for my opponents;
I con them, manipulate them, get them where I want them,
Wait very patiently
Then deliver the killer punch.
What fun to misplay a few hands on purpose,
To bluff and counter-bluff.
Who is the sucker here?
You think it is me?
With a raise too aggressive
Or a call too timid,
With the tiniest gesture,
Sooner or later
You will give yourself away;
Sure that you alone
Can defy the odds,
You will overplay your hand.

We are the night’s assassins,
Men who like to win,
Edging towards the showdown,
Ready to go broke.
Here you need your sixth sense to survive.
Look into the others’ minds,
See their agonies and delusions,
Feel the whims of fate.
At times you almost feel divine,
Letting the energy flow through you,
Taking over your thoughts and decisions,
Guiding you serenely one way or the other,
Until you just know that you are going to win,
If only you listen to the voice within,
Your hand steady, your patience absolute,
Doing everything for a reason.

There you are, always keeping score,
Counting your money,
Keeping your show on the road,
One day a millionaire, the next day broke.
Do you have the nerve to back your own instincts,
To take your life in your own hands?
Believe in no one and nothing,
Wage silent war with all your ingenuity,
Superstitious and cruel.

Out of a myriad possibilities,
I am dealt a single hand,
A single combination of chances.
I take my life to the table
And play.
I am the businessman juggling figures,
The politician telling lies,
The cheating spouse,
The manipulative child.
Sometimes, it seems, I want to, I have to, lose,
The agony makes me happy for a while,
In this foul world that only pleases fools.