like a fool

i offered no mitigation

recognising from the off

this game was rigged

managers man

came for me

asking if i’d said

some rude words

to an idiot

(my word there not theirs)

like a fool

i said yes

offered no defence

thinking he’d cough up

his actions

that precipitated mine

but no

he played victim

no honesty no honour

which gave them excuse

to fire me

& he like a fool

idiot that he was

never understood

he was a tool

to do their dirty work

& some time later

after the dust cleared

they let him go too

for reasons never quite

made clear