Queen Of Spades Poem by Beatrice Preti

shuffle the deck
his cards lie on the table, face down
there’s always an ace in the hole
she knows
she’ll never find the king of hearts
looks at her cards
go fish, she’d say, but it’s the wrong game
he’s not looking her way, anyway
perfect poker face. damn him.
why on earth is she playing his game?
let’s up the ante, he says
really? again?
how many hearts does she need?
only one. but he has them all.
place your bets!
should she go all in, or walk away?
she could win the jackpot
but she’s already too far behind
still
the holes in her heart won’t let her go
dug with spades
but at least she can be that queen