"In the Cards" by Mercedes Lawry

I open a library book of poems,

a mix of earthy and intellectual I’d say, if forced

to label the flavor after a few pages.

And there she is – the Queen of Spades.

She’s come all the way from Vegas, a casino/spa

I find when Google does its thing. A perfect

combination. A dozen personas flash by:

the poetry-reading gambling addict, the math teacher

at a conference indulging in blackjack and a scrub,

the bachelorettes, ill-suited and loud,

and on and on. But coming from a card-playing family –

pinochle on holidays around grandma’s table –

I feel affection for these royals, although it’s bothersome

the king always beats the queen. But this queen

has escaped and though I’m tempted to welcome her

into my home, to give her the privilege of marking the pages

of many books over time, I finally decide

to send her back, tucked somewhere in the middle,

to be discovered by another who might be intrigued

and conjure countless backstories although it’s just as likely

she’ll be tossed in the recycling bin with only

the electric bill and a coupon for Greek yogurt for company.

No more couplets and metaphors, slant rhymes or similes,

and whatever began in Vegas is still there, as,

according to the rules, it should be.

Mercedes Lawry’s most recent book is Small Measures from ELJ Editions. She’s also published Vestigesfrom Kelsay Books, three chapbooks and poems in journals such as Nimrod and Alaska Quarterly Review. Additionally, she’s published short fiction as well as stories and poems for children.