Death the Blackjack Dealer
by Aydin Akgün
In memory of Anthony Hecht
This classic game of stakes
has but one rule,
“The house will win."
Before you start to take
your cards, ponder
the polished pine
under the grass hued felt
and lines of chalk
as white as bone.
The fact that I both cut
and deal should give
you cause for pause;
instead, you trust the crowd
of fools who claim
to know my game
and think you have a chance
to actually win
with what I dealt.
That pair of kings you hold,
may make you feel
like lady luck
is near and that it’s time
to double down
or split your hand.
But lookie here, my friend,
I always have
an ace of spades,
up my proverbial sleeve.
Remember what
I said before?
This classic game has one
Inevitable rule,
“The house will win.”
This classic game of stakes
has but one rule,
“The house will win."
Before you start to take
your cards, ponder
the polished pine
under the grass hued felt
and lines of chalk
as white as bone.
The fact that I both cut
and deal should give
you cause for pause;
instead, you trust the crowd
of fools who claim
to know my game
and think you have a chance
to actually win
with what I dealt.
That pair of kings you hold,
may make you feel
like lady luck
is near and that it’s time
to double down
or split your hand.
But lookie here, my friend,
I always have
an ace of spades,
up my proverbial sleeve.
Remember what
I said before?
This classic game has one
Inevitable rule,
“The house will win.”
Aydin Akgün is a novelist and poet. Born and raised in Izmir, Turkey, he graduated from the Lycée Saint Joseph. He moved to the United States, where he received his BA in International Relations and French from the University of Nevada, Reno, and his MA in Creative Writing in poetry and fiction from Johns Hopkins University. He lives and works in Washington, DC.