Games

by

Sliding Home Again

– Clarence Holm

I saw us last night, as we were 50 years ago.
We were running and screaming
Yelling each other’s names
Staying out late and misbehaving.

You were a pitcher – I caught the ball
We mowed down every batter!
With pitches just striking corners,
How they swang made no matter.

Your waist was thin
My hair was thick.
You grinned like Friday mornings,
When we wuz faking being sick.

Teddy was our buddy
Sandy hung around.
Dale rode his bicycle
And followed the big Greyhound.

Schoolyard friends never grow old,
They live in special memories.
Where kids only get faster
And dreams preserve my reveries.

by

Obsession

cards

I play solitaire!

I play it because I enjoy it. I like the simple challenge of mixing suits only to later realign the ranks.

When I win, all is right with the world, the stars are momentarily united into one numerical plane. I like that! When I lose, I reshuffle and start again. Red on black, black on red, and then each to their own kind.

My grandmother taught me the game as a child, with a worn deck of cards. She said it was a perfect game; quick to play, no other players needed, with very little in the way of set-up. In fact, there was even virtue in the skill of the shuffle and the deal. Seven piles, top card exposed.

Thanks Grandma! I hope to see you again, after I’ve been shuffled about and then reunited with my kind.