If our cards were on the table
what would they tell us
would they whisper would they shout
or sit there mute indignant
in symbolic silence
if our cards were on the table
& since I’ve been broken
since I’ve been on the mend
since i’ve been thinking of you
and me and i and you
since i’ve been thinking about the all of us
thinking on this troublesome world
since i’ve been thinking
thinking
if our cards were on the table
is this the glass i should drink
or the other at the left hand
at the right hand
as the two snakes
caduceus
double helix
confound me
I’m twisted up
in a whole history
a whole spreading
out of this and that
since
i’ve been beside you
beside
myself
if we now place
gently
ever so gently
out cards upon the table
shall we simply accept
the inopportune days
the daze of the winter sun
curving its way across the ever building
arising horizon
of millionaire and billionaire apartments
shinning emptily
in the sad London day
if we lay our cards upon the table
shall we recall the methodology of the kiss
the Be-ing inherent
immaculate
of a certain uncertain embrace
ah my darling
my darlings
i think i’m falling
horizontally through the life of it all
but i’m starting to laugh
again
dear friends
shall we lay our cards on the table
today
like tomorrow
like yesterday
like all and every day
it’s eternal you see
this cat and mouse game we play
we play we play
we play
as we played
as you once lay
woman of my arms my mind my soul
the one that always gets away
that gets in the way
several diseveral
I’m simply going to lay a few cards
here right now on the table
nothing too serious
and play a hand of chance
as the moment between the night and the day’s
going to say hey baby darling it’s ok
it’s ok
it’s ok
we messed up
but there are greater sins
we didn’t start a war
didn’t rob the nation
this new world they’re building
they’re building a ruin
a shining glittering glistering ruin
no dear friends we had no hand in this
we simply laid some cards on the table
on a few tables here or there
but now we need cardsharps
we need stick up men
and women and men
and women
we need solidarity
a return of ethics
of compassion
a rebuilding of the public sphere
these cheats and thieves
have stolen
not playing by the rules
playing us off against
one another
stealing all the money from
the table all the air from the air
as our heads were
turned distracted by
their wars their greed
and this glittering
phantom machine
……………….
Words and Image: Paul Sakoilsky
©paul sakoilsky
12 Feb 2015