What did it really cost?
Did you give them
everything?
Did you go to your grave
clinging to punchlines
you had stashed away
for your rainy days?
While they lived
in a downpour,
your stock rose
with the sun.
Claimed that it wasn’t
generational.
A circle come around
from poverty to wealth.
Did you conceal
your true treasure?
Does it really matter
in the end?
You have gone the way
of all court jesters.
Just dumb enough
to be funny,
but just smart enough
to be dangerous.
Never saw them knock you
off the stage.
Never heard
the shot that hit you.
This all leads
to grand conspiracies,
but I know that you
would love the mystery.
Let them dig around
for rumors
that run like rat lines
of murder plots
and missing money.
Your inner circle
will know the truth.
You sacrificed it all.
Every cent,
every drop of sweat,
in appreciation
of the life you were given.
The Fool
can never be king,
but he can play his part
in choosing who rules.
He can move the people,
capture their attention,
and tell them
they’re all “stupid cocksuckers”
and they’ll laugh.
That, my friends,
is true wealth.
That, is to wield
true power.
DJR – 2023
