Built-In Vetting and Defense
Let’s workshop this poem about one dealer's spin on code words, where you must threaten him to sell you drugs in order for him to do so--this way transactions can be framed as coercion under duress
scent of the day: Silver Oud, by Amouage (a top-five scent, back-up bottle-worthy juice of existential darkness)
Built-In Vetting and Defense His code word was a code threat, those who knew knew: you had to say, on videochat, something like “If you value your life, Denny’s at nine with two eight-balls (fishscale, no stepped-on shit)—call five-o and its gangrape singalong for the kid: ♪ Mr. ’Tato Head. ♪”
In "Built-In Vetting and Defense," the poem portrays a highly calculated, transactional world of drug dealing, where power is subverted through a twisted form of mutual coercion. The dealer insists that the buyer threaten him, flipping the script and making the buyer responsible for initiating the transaction under duress. This method enables the dealer to claim that any illegal sale was done involuntarily, thus protecting himself from legal consequences. The forced recitation of threats during video chats creates a bizarre ritual, demonstrating how paranoia and survival have redefined trust in this dangerous, illicit space.
The poem deftly captures the tension of these interactions, as the buyer is coerced into delivering a violent ultimatum in order to obtain drugs, framing the transaction as legally ambiguous. The inclusion of a disturbing, sing-song chant, “♪ Mr. ’Tato Head, ♪” adds a layer of dark absurdity, revealing how deeply twisted this environment is, where the power of threat becomes intertwined with grim humor. The ritualized threat adds a performative element to the transaction, blending menace with absurdity, as if to downplay the grim reality with a veneer of forced casualness.
The poem examines themes of manipulation, paranoia, and the moral contortions present in criminal dealings. It explores the psychological toll of existing in a world where coercion is mutual and trust is based on threats of violence. The piece critiques the absurd lengths to which individuals go to protect themselves in the underworld, where every move is calculated for survival, and moral lines are blurred beyond recognition.
mutual coercion, drug dealing dynamics, illegal transactions, plausible deniability, under duress, power inversion, paranoia, criminal manipulation, threat-based exchanges, dark humor, moral ambiguity