Saturday cards

this deck

of cards, coffee stained,

smudged

with the food

of Saturday nights. shuffled

a thousand

times over,

dealt out over the round

table

into the late night.

then held

by the slender hands of men

with cigars

the smoke yellowed

by the dim

light.

each tossing into pot

bills

and coins,

white chips.

studying the odds with

old eyes,

young hearts.

cold beer comes down the stairs

by someone's

wife.