That Awful Smell

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Who are these people that control your life?
You think you know them but you know them not
Your words are treated like currency
Bought and sold with a blink of the eye
Nothing is sacred
No honor, no fidelity, no explanation
They want your trust but for what?
To serve themselves and their own purposes
Using your errors against you
Keeping your sins for future value
Whether friend or foe
Nothing seems to be off limits
No tactic untried
No topic too shameful
You give them ammunition
And they pull the trigger without hesitation
They will lie, cheat, and steal
To cover their own pathetic nature
Hiding behind ignorance
Deceiving with naivety
But the wise ones know the truth
That a coward lurks close
Justifications as flimsy as a house of cards
But will preach morals like a saint
They will play by the rules
They will say what wants to be heard
They will eat dinner with your family
And will curse your name as they leave
They will instigate, propagate, carefully navigate
But in the end they are what they are
And they get what they get
Stitches
Because no one likes a rat
Now that--
That you can trust.