Not strong enough to dig, too proud to beg.

Enthusiastically embracing capitalist principles

of wealth, greed, and maximum personal benefit,

together with the dodgy ethics that serve them;

the manager in the story was a little less than honest,

using his master's money to fund his exorbitant lifestyle.

He heard that the day of accounting was due,

and realised that the caper was up.

He proved as cunning as he was corrupt,

dishing out favours at his master's expense,

so that he might call them in later

when he no longer had a job.

Not strong enough to dig,

too proud to beg;

and very clever.

The master,

forced to acknowledge the shrewdness of the scheme,

was presumably rich enough to see the funny side.

With grudging admiration

he allows his shady steward to get away with it.

We also manage to get away with it,

whispering with relief beneath our breath:

That was close!

© Ken Rookes 2016