Casino Pantoum

 

A red Mercedes spins

and spins on top of slot machines.

Oranges and cherries make faces for coins.

Cherries score change but no one wins the car.

 

A man leaves a spinning slot machine

to put coins in a telephone.

He has exact change, he has a red car,

yet he shares his room with a dial tone.

 

He gambles on the telephone

for a woman found in a classified ad.

He hangs up at the dial tone,

afraid of an answering machine.

 

She put herself in a personal ad:

single, busy, desperately self-confident.

Afraid of strange men, she uses a machine

to save calls from strange men.

 

Married once long ago and lonely,

she keeps her car doors locked,

afraid of men. Waiting for a stranger's call,

she plays computer solitaire, game after game.

 

Keeping his convertible locked,

his face the face of coins,

the man turns to video solitaire--just one more game--

while no one wins. The red Mercedes spins and spins.

© Sara Backer, Oregon Poetry Society Contest 1st place in Pantoum category (not published)

 

Comments

nchinnn's picture
This poem captures the isolation and repetition that often surround casino life in such a vivid, poetic way. It really made me think about how games can reflect parts of real life.

On a lighter note, if you're into games that are fast-paced and a bit quirky, I’d recommend checking out https://chickenroad-au.com/. Especially for players in Australia, there are some nice bonuses, and the gameplay is fun without being overwhelming.

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