Losing Hand

Spin the Wheel
Toss the Dice
Deal a wild joker from the bottom of the deck
It’s time to squander away your fortune of dreams
On a game with an ultimate prize

All you desire is this lone jackpot
Which would leave you satisfied enough
To leave the table a winner this one time
And never glance back at your loathed pastime

But the game is tough, as it’s always been
Dealing in favor of your unacknowledged foe
As it always has

Yet you find yourself playing with a winning hand
But you fear too greatly the hidden cards
Your rival still holds back
The Ultimate question you just can’t face:
“Am I good enough to win?”

So, you fold Dreading only the unknown,
And knowing only the what-could-have been
And by that alone are you the loser
For not taking the chance while you had it
And losing all you coveted to a victor by chance

© 1996 John P. Fontana