SOLITAIRE

twenty games for one win
I'm no quitter, even when the king
of hearts remains face down game
after game, even when the light
is nothing but a sliver, I reshuffle,
pray and deal another hand. not
for the faint of heart, this game, no
guarantees at all that any of the cards
I need will ever be face up, no reason
to believe the win will ever come. yet
I watch and wait, deal and wait, pray
and wait for any sign
that this could be a game for two.

© Joan Barton, 1999

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