Bob Gossom

GAMES

 

My Baltic house may be seedy

Not up to your blue Boardwalk

Since I don’t charge you rent

You can judge my intent

But now you own my whole block

 

we play games

 

My right foot Twists to blue

You rise with a hand on green

I counter. You lean.

I wonder: Are we falling?

Red, and both of us are sprawling

 

I like the games we play

 

I Risk moving into Europe

Then you attack my Alaska

We deploy and defend

Battle and win

My surrender accepted

We pretend to be friends

 

fun and games

 

Your pawn takes my Queen

My eyes were distracted 

When your blouse was retracted

You’ve checked your way in

My defenses are fractured

No piece now left to be captured

 

attack games

​

In the big blind with rockets

I’m dreaming of profits

But the flop is three Queens

And your face has a trace

Of when you smiled to my face

And turned out everything

In my pockets

 

high stake games

 

You drop the first heart

And I accept it discretely

You eat the Queen

While smiling sweetly

But when I finesse the Jack

My shins are attacked

 

heart games

 

You scramble the Scrabbles
All over the board

First we hoard the letters

Then you reveal

And I no longer conceal

We build words together

Ignoring the score

Taking a step towards forever

 

forever games