The Art of the Spiel   Don’t pity them — they’re losers. Always seize opportunity by the throat. Success never starts small. Don’t smile, don’t say please, and always get more so that they get less —   leave nothing on the table. You need fuel, dry kindling, an accelerant, a spark, just enough to make it start — beauty’s cruel truth, truth’s cruel beauty. Keep them in the dark,   reserve your light for later. Know that trust understands nothing — it’s all bluff, and buyers might be sellers, it’s rigged. Sometimes you just pretend, and that’s the art of setting fires.     © Michael Fleming Brattleboro, Vermont November 2016