Indelible Interest Poem by Bernard F. Asuncion

The gilded hall, a whispered trade,
Where loyalties, like shadows, fade.
No constant sun, no steadfast star,
But shifting tides and distant war.

A handshake firm, a knowing glance,
A woven web of circumstance.
The spoken word, a silken lie,
Reflected in a watchful eye.

The parchment signed, the treaty sealed,
A fragile pact soon to be peeled.
For power's dance, a restless sway,
Where yesterday's ally turns astray.

No enemy etched in granite stone,
No friend enshrined upon a throne.
But currents deep that twist and turn,
Where self's desire will fiercely burn.

The nation's voice, a distant hum,
While deals are struck and fortunes come.
A tapestry of gain and loss,
Where pocket reigns and counts the cost.

The masks descend, the speeches flow,
A calculated measured show.
And underneath the truth remains,
A constant chase for shifting gains.

No hallowed ground, no sacred tie,
Just fleeting moments passing by.
The game unfolds with practiced ease,
'Permanent interest, ' the only pleas.