You can make it about fentanyl,
about dictatorship,
terrorists

or Christianity –
but you will never
call it money.

These alleged drug smuggling boats
at the coast
in the Caribbean?

Collateral. Casualties.
All you want is Maduro’s knees,
but he’s been making deals

with your enemies.
Oil and rare earth minerals
do not want your paper money.

Oh, you little monkey
In your little
banana republic.

You can buy a peace price
from a corrupt soccer company,
you can flip the script and lie

about trade deals
and the strength of your empire,
but remember:

might is right
and you
are the exit liquidity.

You can not print your way out of this.
We’ve seen this coming
from a distance –

A debasement trade
in the making
and I must remind myself, again,

after Suez, after COVID,
not to ever
waste

a good crisis.