Poker Fierce

 

My first hand began with two red queens
lady hearts <~and~> madame diamonds

two powerful bitches as ever there was
neither’d be mistaken for the queen of oz
loved ‘em both — they sacred me
shared ‘em both — they loved me

the dealer dealt me three more cards
each one was a king
thought to myself
we gotta full house here
ain’t that a helluva thing

had this sly smile on my face
my pair’o ladies — leather’n lace
we were sure to do some damage
in this cold n’lonely poker place

saw my opponent comin’
stared straight into his ugly face
his was a handful’a heavy black clubs
a fierce flush from ten to ace
was this the time for my disgrace

knew I’d never beat his heavy crew
need’ta change m’plans — try sumthin’ new

but diamond lady wanted blood
that warrior woman is a stud

the story is true about the diamond queen
a crazy royal tempest — dirty, down, and mean
but m’lady of the hearts is a lady true
fightin’ ain’t what she do

compared with m’lady “D”‘s lit anger
as tough as any red queen could be
my lady “H” simply ain’t no “banger”
she wouldn’t be much help to me

the beauty of my queen of hearts
is revered by wealthy lords
finest poets of the realm
wax on in sweet accords
she gets the smitten “marks” to the table
from there my queen of ICE is able

my diamond lass is killer cunning
she’ll kick your ass if she sees you coming

n’there’s another thing ‘ya see
she happens also to be
the lethal red queen of swords
a warrior of very few words

yes, we lost the hand for sure
but then we won the war
we — got all the money
that gang’o clubs
just got the door

*
rob kistner © 2022

Poetry at: The Sunday Muse

Poetry at: Poets & Storytellers

 

18 thoughts on “Poker Fierce”

  1. Rob, I simply could NOT stop smiling at this really entertaining poem! I am listening to Folk/Americana music right now and I swear you could sing this.

  2. Ha, love this absolute gem of a poem. The brave wins in the end. I agree, the poem should be put to music.
    The queens in your poem remind me of that Eagles’ song, ‘Desperado’. I think you should know the lyrics about the The Queen of Diamonds and the Queen of Hearts. 🙂

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