"Same Chips, Different Table"
I adored my Gramps and how fearless he used to play.
“Call it,”
“Black,” He sneered at the croupier.
The wheel was excruciating to watch as it sped
past the gleaning enumerations possibly left.
The polished roulette centre-circles turning beside each other
revolving against a whirling dervish of vibrant colour.
Certain; He slides a number of chips stood to his left
perfectly timed to cover his introductory bet.
As numbers descend into focus, the wheels momentum slows,
the ball jumps at a section while rolling – I feel the tension grow.
The sphere a metronome while bouncing from jaws
to jeers and pensive tones sounded by all.
Gramps scowls at the ball, I watch as he stands
open-mouthed and it falls into a pocket of black.
***
The hospital staff say it’s no good for his heart
that he’s got to relax and stop pushing so hard.
Gramps shrugs their remarks off, smiles at me blank,
before thrusting a card in the slight of my hand.
It read: “Life is a gamble, roll the dice,
find you an angle, know your price.
Throw the blinds up, make a profit,
but don't sit by just chasing losses.
Weigh your options, spread your bets,
raise the pot to get ahead.
Second best's unsatisfying,
never fret or have to buy in.
I've had a try and lost it all,
stacked them high & watched 'em fall.
Flopped and called with deuce and king,
dropped the ball on roulette spins.
Seen losers win and winners lose,
threw them in - then hit a fluke!
Missed a few and made a buck,
in pursuit of lady luck.
If you play for fun that’s all you’ll have,
but your day will come, I’m sure of that…”
***
I thought that Gramps had lost his mind.
I was too small to gamble - the slots too high!
I’d not a dime to bet or keep;
Was the rhyme meant for me?
I spent my teens and adolescence
endlessly just asking questions.
Had Gramps intended me to risk it
once his gambling tendencies rescinded?
Why need to bring this up to me
- a means of hinting subtly?
I took to read and retrace the lines
when another meaning came to mind:
The game of life has peaks and troughs
but play it right, you can reach the top.
You’ll need a lot of luck to best
and beat the odds you’re up against.
Some have spent obscene amounts
where others went and beat the house.
Clean ‘em out and hone your edge
before the dealer shouts there’s “No more bets!”
Hold it steady, check or fold,
composed as ever – let it roll!
Roulette had shown me life's hurried at a frenzied speed,
the ball they set in motion doubles as our destiny.
The jump at interventions relayed as past mistakes
and us coming to our senses to change the path we take.
The pace we travels made slower as we reach the age
to make our lasting place known before we leave the game.
The green and beige set the tone where most become unstuck
but either way, you never know when your numbers up…
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