Off the Board

 

Place your bets
with arrogant confidence

The odds rarely favor
those who roll with desperation

But be advised
Lady Luck
is such a fickle mistress

I took her on a date
to the equine bank
for a major withdrawal

The allure 
of the race track
would surely 
put my love in the mood

Playing the odds

Letting it ride
on the swiftest Pegasus

Here they come in a line

The post parade on display

to assist the gambling congregation
of rogues and degenerate sinners
with the task of anointing a winner

Fortunately for me
I got a hot tip
from a guy
with knowing eyes
who knew 
someone
who
knew something

Inside dope

Telling whispers

The stuff of glorious fantasies

So I bet it all
on the gray
Number 5
on the program

And they're off!!

Once around the loop
they make their fateful trip

A thunderous cacophony
of hammering hooves 
pounding the oval strip

Down the stretch
the screams of dreamers
bring them home

Photo finish!!!

We live and die
by chance
and all the
vagaries
of circumstance

Today I died

Took a fall
on a sure thing
that wasn't
so sure
after all

Lady Luck took her limo
and returned to her palatial home

While I trudged back
to my humble shack
broke and alone