"The Casino" a poem by Charles Anthony Hood

Music playing in the background,

I sip from my glass of bourbon.

Cigar smoke swirls and dissipates.

Cameras overhead see all.

Blackjack is always my game, too.

I’m sitting pretty with a Jack…

And a nine—wonderful nineteen.

Two-thousand dollars will be mine!

Slot machines dinging and clinking—

Someone hits the jackpot and squeals.

Someone else just lost their money.

Winners and losers play with hope.

In the casino restaurant,

People enjoy their food and drinks.

Laughter and chatter fill the air,

All worries melted away.

An elderly man and woman…

Conversate over cold soft drinks.

Their meal arrives steaming, looks good.

I wonder how often they win.

There is a much darker side, though.

It would be remissive of me…

Not to mention gambling addicts:

Losing all they have to the house.

A man sits alone—nothing left—

Gambled away his house payment.

What is he to do after all?

“Gambler’s Anonymous” again?

He has gone to those meetings before.

He fell off the wagon again.

He always falls off the wagon.

He loses his wife every time.

This time is much worse than ever.

The bank will gladly take his house.

His misfortune becomes his end.

His psyche cracks into pieces.

I watch the dealer’s hand hoping.

The apt dealer has an eight and a nine—

Two-thousand dollars are all mine!

Winning puts a smile on my face…

My winning hand…

The Goddess of Fortune is smiling…

Upon me and my hands tremble…

Winning hungers me like a wolf.

I’ll go get some lunch I decide.

I can’t ignore my rumbling gut.

Smells wafting from the restaurant…

Draw me in like a hungry rat.

I people watch from my table.

Oh, spending time at the casino!

The smells of smoke, money, and liquor—

Primal—like the wild, wild west.

Comments

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Charles Anthony Hood

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