Playing Poker

Forgive me Lauren but
I lost dexterity
To shuffle the decks
Of life’s persistent questions
I used to array them in ornate fans
Draw a random card
And I would lay off
A straight flush of an answer

But now I find in my pack
Left-handed spades
An odd number of jokers
A couple of expired aces
And a blank domino tile

I hear your mind crunch predestination
The width of the Universe
The suffering of the innocent
The legacy of our conquests
And the timbre of the voice of God

Forgive me Lauren but
I must fold
I know people who can bet extravagantly
On all these things
Without a blink of a doubt
Or a twitch of hesitation
Their cards always follow suit
And split their world into red and black
Where numbers never cease to ascend
And their queens know their proper place

Forgive me Lauren but
The odds stacked against me
Are too high for a bluff
And I am not sure
If the chip in my pocket
May not actually be
A misplaced circus token

©2012 Dosia McKay

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