Jonathan Carr
The Cardplayers
Not allowed inside the room
Where the men sat wagering their luck,
He stood behind the glass. Eyes like glue
Fastened on the strange ceremonies of the set:
His father and grandfathers cutting the deck.
He could hear them ruminate over which game,
Names sounding the way small boots crunch,
Canasta. Kalooki. Maybe Klabiosh today
If that be their choice.
He would know soon enough. Each voice
Subsides with the first hand dealt
And each mind works solely with his suits,
Letting all intentions of winning be felt
By a coldness sweeping the room -
Each cardplayer playing his own steely tune.
Even the boy chills from it. His father
Exchanging kings with such gladiatorial brood,
Someone could have swapped his heart for pewter.
Fearfully, he entered the room
Almost just to puncture their cold unrelenting mood,
And God how it worked! Suddenly warmth
Emanated from the three men jockeying, sparring, pummelling
Him to laughter. Making him rest assured,
Until he turned to leave. Then
A new Ice Age crackled the lounge floor behind him.
Page(s) 9
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