Subterfuge

I keep close to my chest

Until it's time to let out

What needs to be said

—

This was never a sequel

Not in the way you imagine

A follow-on, after the Pledge

On the cusp of the Turn

—

Call this The Prestige

—

I never thought about it

Until now, or until it was

Suggested and noted

By the crisps lady, my pal

—

dinosaurs are thin at one end,

get thicker in the middle, and

then get thinner at the other end?

—

But really that's all subterfuge

A trick of light, sleight of hand

The crudités, amuse-bouche

A meandering coup de théâtre

—

I am not a hero or master

Of craft or anything really

Merely an avid chancer

A hustler with a handle

On words and how they sit

—

My most cherished nemesis

The me I try to hide

He who lurks and waits

For upheaval and chaos

—

To lead me unto ruin

When brain engages

And wields his sword

From within shadows

—

Look up to the sky

For was it the word

Of a god or master

You heard, understood?

—

Or the words of a charlatan

A faux philosopher

Honeyed but laced

With arsenic

—

My Cousin Vinny

Goodfellas

And Casino

Never got sequels

—

On that we can celebrate

*

Thanks for reading!

For understanding please read Withholding and the comment thread.

Thanks to L.C. Schäfer for some inspiration via Monty Python.