the card game

the card game
goes long into the night.
old friends
with old hands.
jacks
and aces held tight
to our chests.
pairs of clubs.
straights.
the chips are stacked
in front
of us. a small
ante in the middle.
we raise
and draw,
we ask for two, or
more.
we all want the winning
hand
as the night goes on.
in time
the conversation
is about us. not cards.
not about who wins
or loses. it's
about where we are,
who we are, what we
mean to one another
without ever saying it.