The Coterie Dissolves Poem by delilah contrapunctal.... yes, that's how I intended to spell it.........

despite the flailing attempts,
efforts to gain attention by any means at all...
no one wants the ride...
even those seeking the distraction of a ruse
or a bit of pugilism for its own sake
became dismayed....flattered as some may have been by the gratuitous and self-serving caresses/sad attempts at seductions of numerous sorts.... in many contexts....
.eyes open/are opening...part of the way, at least....
the odor of rot could not be ignored...no clothespin pinch or perfumed kerchief could disguise the stench.... the foul ploys and pathetic games failed...eventually most all were alienated...disgusted...

.... many were not taken in, even at the outset....but remained...at a distance.......let it play out, as such things do.....duplicity is not difficult to see....the string unwinds....the beads drop....