“How to Know If Your .89 is Real”: Six (and Stones)

jack and queen

 

You begin to consider

your differences as you gaze

into the surface of a shallow pool

masking any sudden flash

of the eye

that will expose what might be

in your hand.

 

In the mirrored surface,

your 89 meets the eyes

of a 68 who only wants

to stand by you.

 

It’s a risk of ruin to stay.

 

There are 21 reasons

to walk away from the water.

 

There are 21 reasons

to get back into the car.

 

There were twenty-one stones

sewn into the hems of your cotton dress,

an attempt to make things even.

It’s not a balanced count.

 

You’ve already thrown

ten into the water.

 

Three words might have saved you

before the cards were even cut:

 

stop loss limit.

 

The cards are up-turned.

It’s just as it has been since

the opening hand:

 

It always ends in a push.

 

And before you can even

palm the next stone,

you hear,

 

“Hit me again.”

 

And though there are

only two of you at the table,

you’re not sure if the voice

wasn’t your own.

 

 

 

 

Paul W. Hankins (March 2015)

 

 

 

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *