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The House Always Wins, Until…

(Follow up to One More Night)

Tomorrow arrived
With neither fanfare nor doom
And became tonight
Quietly
Without incident

Tonight she’s here
Rolling her dice in her hand
Smirking at the table
Quietly
Tired but present 

The future will come
Not as randomly as we think
Unpredictably, sure
Quietly
Without a care

When she stares them down
They don’t know what to think
Watching her lift her dice
Quietly
And swallow them 

They stand frozen
They’re watching, terrified
As she strikes her matches
Quietly
One by one 

“Fear the quiet ones”
They’ve heard, but they didn’t know
They’d live it tonight, as she’s
Quietly
Giggling, joyfull 

Individually they fall
Spinning onto the floors and chairs
Blooming orange and blue
Quietly
On their own time

As they come together
There’ll be no more games of chance here
Understanding what she’s done
Quietly
She completes

The others flee to nearby fields
Where there’s safety and a view
Of ashes on the wind carried
Quietly
Far from here 

March 7 – 13, 2025

Published inPoetryFree Verse

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