The Dealer

On By Veera

Hey all! I’m back with my next poem. Enjoy!

‘Twas midnight,when I arrived
At a casino strange,
From the joys of life,
A man estranged.

I desired a game of poker,
To escape my sorrows,
Troubles,torments,
Play till sunrise morrow.

There,in the middle
Stood a table vast,
With the clock striking twelve,
I figured I was the last.

The dealer,a sleazy feller,
Strange were his looks,
Into one arm was sewn
A shiny,red hook.

I looked into his eyes,
Bloodshot and weary,
He stared back a stare
Menacing and fiery.

Four others glanced
At their companion new,
I sat down,ordered vodka,
As the game began anew.

Cards were dealt out,
We placed our bets,
With each coin I tossed,
Increased my regret.

For with each coin tossed
I suspected terrible strife,
The dealer only smiled,
Wicked pleasure glowed rife.

I examined my cards;
For ’twas time to call,
To my utter horror,
‘Twas a card of downfall.

None had cards of life,
Only of their deaths.
God,was I to breathe here
My final breath?

The dealer conjured a reaper,
The devil in disguise;
I saw,in his face pale,
My inevitable demise.

One man ran,frightened,
Clearly,he feared his end,
Yet all he did was fall
In the hands of the fiend.

Another grabbed a cue stick,
Attacked,with a will,
His courage proved not useful,
Ended up getting killed.

The rest followed suit,
To survive,desperate;
Death permitted not escape,
As fulfilled their fates.

The dealer now stared,smiling
At my expressionless face,
In which developed
A half-hearted grimace.

I sat there still,not moving,
Resigned to my fate,
Knowing my time had come,
To escape death,’twas too late.

The Grim Reaper neared,
Surprised at my indifference;
Asked, “Are you not afraid,mortal,
Of my grim presence?”

I answered, “Why fear
The flash of your scythe,
When you are inevitable,
Need I,with fright writhe?”

‘Twas then,that I,once more,
Peeked at my card;
Knew,at once,my downfall
Was naught but far.

I only wished,at that moment,
I could bid goodbye
To my family,my friends,
Before my soul died.

I only wished,at that moment,
I could bid goodbye
To my blog,which would disappear,
Forgotten,as time passed by.

He made it really quick,
I was grateful for that;
A painless end I’d yearned,
Neither chase nor combat.

-The Forgers of Fantasy

This has been penned in response to Sadje’s #WhatDoYouSee prompt, you can access it at https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2022/02/07/what-do-you-see-120-february-7-2022/ .

For more such poems,refer The Forgers of Fantasy

26 thoughts on “The Dealer”

  4. Pingback: WDYS # 120 -A Roundup post – Keep it alive

  9. I love how you used the metaphor of a card game for the terrible struggle of life that always ends with death.
    I wish everyone to reach a point when you may welcome death as a dear friend at the end of a long journey.
    Your poem made me think of the song Spanish Train by Chris de Burgh

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. ❤ Thank you very much,my friend, I shall definitely listen to this song…yes, I quite agree that when you reach the end of the road,you gotta accept that its a dead end and not search for some hidden passage that may grant escape from the inevitable! ❤

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