My Dark Duchess

A Poem

I am a witness to thine immense power:

I have seen you squeeze an hour into just half

By effortless motions of thy nimble fingers;

I have watched you conjure up money out of thin air

With such ease as though you were the Fed’s Chair;

You keep strong, tall, muscular men waiting on the walkway

Outside your domicile, while they fidget about

Wearing the anxious faces of frightened rodents;

You use your invisibility cloak so frequently

That eminent men employ in vain

All the magic of ancient algorithms.

Such is thy power that to get an audience with you,

We close deals with Rumpelstiltskin;

Make Faustian bargains;

And happily borrow from Shylock.

Halifax, Sept. 15, 2020