the black dot

you are a poor gambler,
better off
piling your hard earned bills
into a pile
and setting them on fire.
you pick the wrong
horse every time.
the wheel spins and lands
on red.
you've picked black.
it's not unluck, but
no luck.
your planets do not align
that way. you pay no
mind to the black cat,
or the ladder
you walk under.
the cracks get stepped
on, and the pennies
you let lie, not
caring. this is the way
it is and you accept
it. you know that if you
were a character in Shirley
jackon's short story,
the lottery, that you
would be the one to pick
the slip of paper
with the black dot.