One season for clubs, for spades, diamonds, hearts:
one suit for every season.
One card for every week in the year:
each suit has a baker’s dozen.
–Stud poker is what we’re dealt these cards for:
clubs for the living, spades for the dead,
diamonds for the rich ones, hearts for the poor.
Hurry up and deal, we all said,
and save the talk for later!
Sailors and gamblers all die between decks,
one suit for every season.
The sailor waits for his day of shipwreck,
the gambler plays for the losing.
–We’re dealt such a salty game of poker:
Here’s the salt for the baker’s bread
and salt for the wet grave of the sailor.
Just pass the salt, is what we said,
and hold our snack for later.
Lawyers salt their brief times away at court,
one suit for every season;
laws just clubs and spades; they steal the divorced
diamonds, bury hearts with reason.
The dealer shuffles and his hands go blur
and he passes the blacks and reds
and fills our hands with clubs, spades, diamonds, hearts.
–Just deal me wild cards, we all said,
and leave justice for others.
One season for clubs, for spades, diamonds, hearts:
one suit for every season.
One card for every week in the year:
each suit a baker’s dozen.
Stud poker is what we’re dealt these cards for:
spades to the living, hearts for the dead,
diamonds from the rich ones, clubs on the poor.
–Just deal those cards, we said. We said,
We’ll give fine speeches later!
.
Duane Vorhees
Picture Rupert Loydell
.