The Poker Game

Five Card Stud was the choice of play.
First one down—Guts to open.
The next four up in successive rounds,
Wagering on each turn of the card.
The table stakes were high.
My past played before me.
Old friends, long since departed, sat and stared,
Folding as the high bet was made.
My Dark Angel and I battled for the pot laying green.
Reality deals a harsh hand in the struggle for life.
The Reaper raised and I countered.
The Angel of Death jived,
“Well Mark, just you and me left...
You know I’m going to win.”
I smiled and replied,
“Yeah Man, I know!
But not this hand.”