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Open Poetry #16
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The Wisdom of the Aces (from #9)
| Open Poetry #16 |
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The Wisdom of the Aces (from #9) |
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LngJhnAg Member Elite
since 1999-07-23
Posts 3508Boot+Kitty=Poetry in motion 
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Last night I dreamt, in my fitful sleep, of all the things I sought, Of the selfish ways that characterized what my life had wrought. I dreamt of a place where games of chance demanded a higher stake, And the ante to play was paid by withdrawals from a different kind of bank. I dreamt I was walking through a casino of tables and roulette wheels, Each highlighted but for a moment, then becoming vague and surreal. Then just ahead, in its own special light, a table and chairs appeared, And the woman there, in her black velvet gown, beckoned me to draw near. She sat at the felt-covered table across from an empty chair, With a deck of cards before her, she invited me to sit there. "I notice this table is empty," I said. "What are the stakes to play?" "Nothing you haven't gambled before, and won't finally lose today." "How much do you need for my ante?" I said as I gazed on her face, Confident in my gambling abilities, ignoring the tone of the place. Her emerald green eyes held me, I surrendered to their control, "Surely you know this game by now; just a piece of your soul." I'm always looking to get ahead, no matter the terms of the deal, And I was flushed with the hidden passions that her green eyes made me feel. So, eagerly I anted a piece of my soul to receive the cards she dealt, The corners of her mouth uplifted as the first flashed o'er the felt. Lifting the corner slightly, the ace of diamonds whispered to me, "Trust in the riches you already possess, not in the ones you seek." I smiled at this sage bit of wisdom; but I gambled by opening the bet, A piece of my soul wouldn't cost much considering all I could get. The next card appeared before me, as if coming out of thin air, Bending it back only a bit, an ace of clubs greeted me there, "Trust in your soul to guide you; you'll never lose your way again," I chose my own direction and bet more of my soul on the hand. Each time I'd raised she'd pondered my bet, then, with her knowing smile, She checked the balance of my account, then added to the growing pile. "Can you really afford to play this game?" she said with a wicked laugh, Pinning me down with emerald eyes that had reduced my soul to half. The table hissed as the next card came and burned where it touched my hand, An ace of spades joined the diamond and club, but I failed to understand: "Trust the power of life to bring you joy, not in what could have been." As with the others, I ignored this advice, and added to the pot again. Though salvation lay in the cards in my hand, and in how I played this game, When I lifted my eyes to the dealer, I felt despair for my soul all the same. She held me pinned with her emerald gaze, with confidence in her eye, Though I held three aces in three cards, my spirit and throat ran dry. I licked the sweat from my upper lip as I prayed for the final ace, And the ace of hearts sailed across and rested in its rightful place. "Trust the power of love to save your soul, for nothing can buy it back," The advice it whispered fell on deaf ears; four aces can do all that. A smile teased onto my lips as I welcomed this turn in my fate, Four aces are rare and, without a doubt, worth the rest of my stake. Her emerald green eyes flashed again as she dealt the last of the hand, Whatever the card, it didn't matter, the aces alone would stand. "The bet is yours," she counseled, "Remember the stake that I've set." "I'll wager the rest of my soul," I announced, not understanding the bet. Her wistful smile reassured me as I laid the aces out one at a time, A diamond, a club, a spade, a heart. I knew that the pot was mine. She laid her straight flush on the table, with fire flashing in her eyes, "You should have folded and saved your soul, but you had other things to buy." "Now that you've nothing left to play, this game has come to its end," "You carelessly gambled away your soul, and you'll not have that chance again." I staggered away from the table, but there was nowhere else I could go, There are no suitable destinations for a man without a soul. I reflected on all the things I had before I'd foolishly paid for my hand, And realized the wisdom of the aces was now easy to comprehend. Then I awoke and sighed with relief, for it had only been a dream, The felt-covered table, the deck of cards, and the eyes of emerald green. But just before those visions died in the light of the coming day, I heard again, somewhere deep within, the wisdom of each ace. "Trust in your soul to guide you and you'll never lose your way again." "Trust the power of life to bring you joy, not in what could have been." "Trust in the riches you already possess, not in the ones you lack." "Trust the power of love to save your soul, for nothing can buy it back." [This message has been edited by LngJhnAg (edited 10-05-2001).] |
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| © Copyright 2001 Michael Waterman - All Rights Reserved | |||
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Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
Oh, I remember this. And my smile is just as big this time! |
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LngJhnAg Member Elite
since 1999-07-23
Posts 3508Boot+Kitty=Poetry in motion |
And I still remember the black velvet gown.... |
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Seymour Tabin Member Empyrean
since 1999-07-07
Posts 31720Tamarac Fla |
LngJhnAg, A long read but a good one. One of your very best. This one is a keeper And really do not jest. |
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JamesMichael Member Empyrean
since 1999-11-16
Posts 33336Kapolei, Hawaii, USA |
"There are no suitable destinations for a man without a soul"...James |
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Tracey Member Elite
since 2001-08-29
Posts 2808where insanity meets breeding |
What a fantastic piece of writing. You had me spellbound from start to finish. I knew there were some words of wisdom coming, and you certainly supplied them. Very wise lesson there. If she who dies with the most toys wins, then can I have some toy boys please? |
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Balladeer
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-05
Posts 25505Ft. Lauderdale, Fl USA |
Well done, Mike. This was very well thought out and presented....I hadn't seen it before. If I had, maybe I wouldn't have been so hard on ya...NOT!!!  Seriously, though, this is brilliant writing  |
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LngJhnAg Member Elite
since 1999-07-23
Posts 3508Boot+Kitty=Poetry in motion |
Sy - Thanks for the encouragement, and sticking with the poem, even if it was a bit long. James - Thanks for restating what everybody knows but many fail to understand. How have you been? Tracey - Thanks for those very nice comments. I wish I could write more stories like that; but, unlike Balladeer, the ideas come slowly to me, and are usually the result of somebody else's challenge. I guess I'm better at reacting than at being proactive. Mike - Thanks for the great acknowledgement. Getting that from you means a lot to me, as I consider you as one of the finest story tellers I've ever run across. As for going easy on me, I thought you were! lol |
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Nan
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-20
Posts 21191Cape Cod Massachusetts USA |
Wonderful read, my dear friend... Wish I could tell a story like that..  |
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Lorelei54 Member
since 1999-07-27
Posts 458 |
Sending this one to the top because thats where it belong...my man is brilliant in my book! |
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Kit McCallum
Administrator
Member Laureate
since 2000-04-30
Posts 14774Ontario, Canada |
""Can you really afford to play this game?" she said with a wicked laugh, Pinning me down with emerald eyes that had reduced my soul to half." This is absolutely wonderful JngJhn! Splendid in cadence and rhyme throughout, and the message rings through so clearly. You held my attention throughout this wisdom-filled verse ... an excellent poem indeed! Best wishes, /Kit |
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Mysteria 
since 2001-03-07
Posts 18328British Columbia, Canada |
Well you sure have wise dreams, for all those that are rich know that all good things come from within. External goods are but the 3 aces, and they will never beat a full flush of a soul full of love. This was absolutely brilliant, and your message is one to be pondered long. Well done. ~I always have time to listen to someone talking from their heart~ |
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The Lady of Shallot Senior Member
since 2001-10-03
Posts 818USA |
Oh, I really enjoyed this one! -befriend yourself and you will never be alone- |
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Lorelei54 Member
since 1999-07-27
Posts 458 |
giving it another shot at the top..LOL |
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suthern
since 1999-07-29
Posts 20723Louisiana |
Thanks, Lor... I can only skim the blue pages these days... and I would have hated to miss this. *S* Now, I hate to spoil things and pay the sailor a compliment... but I have no choice. *S* This is too good for anything but applause... Wonderful work, LJA... every word. *S* [This message has been edited by suthern (edited 10-16-2001).] |
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