the war wound

the uncle,
uncle rudy,
who served in korea,
with one
eye and a patch
on the other
had a few card tricks.
we'd seen
them at weddings
and birthday
gatherings.
always with a deck of cards,
a slight of hand.
he'd
gather the children
around his
table
and do his act.
pick a card, any card,
he'd say,
then stick it in the deck
and shuffle.
how did he know?
and what was up with that
one eye.
we all wanted
to see that.