Preface: A Man Alone Poem by Daniel Brick

An Unfinished Fiction

Is the man alone the hero
of this story? Does he perhaps
double as the villain? It would
not be difficult for him to play
both roles. On the surface
both characters are elegant
in clothing and conversation, both
pay a generous tithe to Mother Church,
both promise a full accounting
to the Office of Taxation, both
alternately stand out in a crowd,
or sink into into anonymity if required.
One says: We are masters of disguise and deceit."
He speaks in a loud firm voice. The other cringes.
They found it: the tiny detail that makes each unique.
We can go home now. There's no more Mystery....