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+# The Settlement Loom
+
+The brief is laid like thread across the frame,
+each measured line a promise not yet spun.
+A client names the work, the budget, claim,
+and waits for proof that craft has truly begun.
+
+A maker lifts the shuttle through the night,
+with tests for knots and comments for the seams.
+The proposal holds its pattern to the light,
+then turns a scope of wants to working beams.
+
+Escrow keeps the coin inside its hand,
+not cold, but patient, counting every pass.
+It listens for the milestones that were planned,
+and will not loose the weave for smoke or brass.
+
+Reviewers trace the fibers back to source,
+from message, diff, and artifact to trust.
+If claims pull loose, the record shows the course;
+if proof holds firm, the ledger does what it must.
+
+At merge, the cloth is lifted from the loom,
+plain enough for strangers to inspect.
+The payout crosses out the waiting room,
+and leaves behind a handoff checked and correct.