Donal said


telling a story in advance of it happening
is called
articulating a strategy

a business
measurable
but not necessarily pleasurable
for all concerned

and he told a story of
malware hidden among pages of books
educated Greeks left behind
outside Troy’s walls
to be read by Trojans and allies
after the Greeks cleared off
no camp fires lit on the beaches
just ten years’ worth of trash

malware loaded by Trojans
into Troy’s systems
that would take control
when the time came

and to prevent this from happening
Troy’s systems were programmed to resist
intrusion by a weave that entrapped
intruders in silken thread
woven by women

so Odysseus was caught
by Helen of Troy
then let go

for she had seen right through him
at first glance

saw he was destined to pull out
then put in
then carry his oar inland

and the rest is in Homer

         Envoi

she’d seen right through him

that first time they met

no need for torture 

to make him confess

what he deserved 

he would get

in the fullness of time

what he got

for free

was liberty

to pull out

then put in

then carry his oar

inland

Dick Russell

copyright (C) 2017