Asimov's SF, August 2011 by Dell Magazine Authors

Author:Dell Magazine Authors
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Dell Magazines
Published: 2011-07-14T07:30:55.696000+00:00

Poetry: BRIBING KARMA by Danny Adams

* * * *

* * * *

Karma can be bribed—and openly,

though coin of the realm is experience.

What will you offer in trade?

The ambitiously young may give up true love

for the fast fortune—

You're already settled into the career marriage?

Then pay a thousand smiling gazes

from your firstborn child

with its arms upraised in hope.

If you still see such looks after the bargain

you are being played false.

—

Maybe you ask for a smaller gift

at a smaller price

but small is relative—

your meaningless trinket is another's lifetime.

The stranger's glance you missed was small,

but given to the right person

it made decades of difference.

When you bribe karma you request

another's treasure.

—

Karma charges accordingly.

—

Altering the deal will not always

reduce your compounding interest.

The fine print is written across

unlit clouds between the stars.

Be a wise investor in this market—

your next payment due may be

a small grace.

—Danny Adams

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