They swagger, these gifts of the gods
Draped in Savile Row
Handmade brogues squeaking
Signalling their advance
Sleek terminals flashing green and red
The latest billions to be made
Orchestrated by one perfectly manicured digit
A rarefied world, this domain of the trader
Tiger women diluting the testosterone just enough
To become the next female BSD.
(I don’t have the balls
In all senses of the word).
They all walk and talk a good game
Ride the highs and lows with aplomb
Possessing animalistic grace, a certain panache
Revelling in the glory, drowning the losses in Moët & Chandon
Or inside their bonus-bought classic car
Seats rubbed smooth with 90mph sex and cocaine
Shagging the pressure away in a City side street.
Rare beasts, these,
Stalking, hunting down that one trade
Chasing mammon, winner takes all
But I wonder, when it comes down to it
When I see those who drew the short straw
Carrying their belongings in a cardboard box
Incongruously shabby against their Cartier adornments
Leaving their ivory tower for the last time
Facing down the cameras as journalists hunt in packs
Trading titillation for the headline news
I wonder – do they think it was worth it, after all?
Probably.
*****
Freya Writes... 
Doesn’t sound worth it to me, but you are probably right that they think it was. Nice sketch. Peace, Linda
Thank you, Linda.
oy. you def paint them well…i like the allusion to tigers…the prowl…the swagger they def got it….i worked in banking and its a rough world…with the money comes trade offs that for me in the end was just not worth it….
Thank you, Brian. I work on the legal and compliance side of things (although many moons ago I was offered the chance to go down the trading route!), and my work environment is a world away from that… way beyond my comfort zone! 🙂
The 64 million dollar question, was it all worth it. Me, I think not.
I guess it depends on what is important to you as a person. The problem is, it is way too easy to get hooked on the adrenalin, or the importance that a person derives from their job as being a validation of his or her self-worth… Wow, that’s a bit deep for a Friday lunchtime! Thank you for reading, Kathryn.
Pulsating words to capture ‘a world’. Well done!
Thank you!
I suspect those who still think it was worth it are carrying a boatload of bucks home in that cardboard box–the ones with picture frames holding photos of their rarely-seen kids, maybe not so much.
Indeed. I know I couldn’t work and commute the hours I do if I had children.
Love the image of tiger women…I suspect the type of character who can run in that world is the kind who will think it all worth it in the end.
Thank you! Yes, running in that world must be a very goal-oriented way of living. Carrot on a stick….
Life in the fast lane, excellent descriptions Freya, quite intense.
Thank you!
A rare breed indeed! You described them perfectly Freya.
Thank you! Survival of the fittest, or the most sociopathic…
Wow — you nailed it, darling. Such decadence! It reminded me of Bret Easton Ellis’ descriptions of ’80s opulence in American Psycho. Brilliant.
Thank you, my dear. Funny, Bret Easton Ellis did make an appearance in my mind’s eye, along with Gordon Gekko, 1987 era…
This is excellent Freya, you pose an interesting question about these people, what happens to them if it wasn’t worth it? I have to wonder.
Thank you, Michael. I’ve had a few episodes in my life where I’ve wondered the same (never as a City trader!), and I’ve found that if I can learn a lesson, develop as a person, then it’s not all in vain.
I once wanted to be a stock broker/trader…but I doubt I could have handled the stress.
Not my cup of tea either!
oh you capture them well and it def. takes a certain character to live a life like that… i wouldn’t have the balls either… it’s tough
Thank you, Claudia. I’m happy without that kind of mental toughness too!
I know those predators… I think a few of them stay on too long. There are those that find a sweet girl, and settle down with a family…
Yes, thankfully there are always those who manage to retain intact personally. I don’t think it’s a career for an older man/woman (not the really high pressure trading, anyway).
I have some knowledge of that world and I love the sense of it you portrayed
Thank you, Peter.
..just as I suspected….all is not cozy when dealing with stock exchange 😉
Nope. I don’t think so.
The poem was like a movie – you showed us the character very well and to enhance it, you let us feel a bit of that person who drew the short straw, who gambled and lost, forced to leave in disgrace. The lows of the high life, I suppose. Well done.
Thank you so much, Gay, I’m glad you enjoyed it! The lows of the high life, indeed….
You are describing what I see in movies or read in a newspaper. I would never survive, not even as a witness on the sideline to this type of life. I know a lot of people live like this so it obviously has its compensations.You have not opted for life in the slow lane (almost reaching to a halt lane) in the South Pacific as a surfie chick so there must be some very exciting aspects not excluding great monetary reward that keeps you firing:)
I couldn’t do it either. I don’t think I’ve ever been so turned on by money that I could work in that environment…!
i can imagine this city scape
It’s a glass and concrete jungle out there!
Nicely done. I like the way you wove this together.I wonder how many spend the time to wonder about the worth of it all…
I wonder too. These days, time spent just ‘being’ is almost considered a waste by some. What a shame – for it is the spaces inbetween that allow us to regenerate, I think.