Bloodied but unbowed,
licking fresh wounds
bruised and bleeding
from prior skirmishes;
appraising diminished strength
in readiness for new assaults.
No respite forthcoming,
foe rapidly renews attack
fashioning potentially
a final, fatal blow -
salvo fired, not in anger
but smug conceit of victory.
Staring through vacant eyes
of this inhuman adversary -
shark's eyes, cold, unfathomable,
devoid of caring or compassion.
Pale glow of predatory compulsion
devouring the weak and lame.
Gut churning nauseous bile ;
primal fight-or-flight response
unbidden, unconsciously deploys
rush of blood gushing, throbbing heart,
sinews twitch and dance inside
fighting to project outward bravado.
The hour has come, his 'last hurrah';
he breathes a mouthless, silent prayer
to fickle Gods to crave one more indulgence.
A final weaponry inventory -
Two clubs, a bullet and a hook
He howls once more his clarion cry...
I'm All In!
Author notes
I am a passionate, and moderately successful gladiator in the glorious battleground that is No Limit Texas Hold'em Poker.
For the uninitiated, Bullet means Ace, a hook is a Jack, All-in means you are betting all of your remaining chips.
For the short-stacked player, going all-in on an Ace/Jack of Clubs is a typical example of attack being the best form of defence.
A contest entry
- Getting Even by queen.
300 points, ended May 26, 2007, 4 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - anything by serenity silvermoon.
600 points, ended June 19, 2007, 56 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Joined by Shiro Okami.
800 points, ended July 13, 2007, 18 entries
Bronze trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Trick or Treat by Florida Sunshine.
650 points, ended November 6, 2008, 15 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Sink Me, This is a Demmed Good Contest... by Lamia.
600 points, ended May 16, 9 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 38 of 38
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ths was cool and I love how it ended up being about poker.
Nice write and i loved the last line.
Good luck in the contest,
beatjess10 -
pretty sly for a poker write, although I see several more layers to this. Your poetic prowess is intriguing as it is impressive.
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Well done. As the others have mentioned and I agree the double entendre behind this poem made it all the more enjoyable to read. Congrats on your moderate success as a poker player and I wish you all the more in the future. Thank you for entering and good luck in the contest
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Oh I love the double meaning you put in this write ~ it is very well done. Being a fan of Texas Hold 'em make this a bit more enjoyable catching the meaning [provided in the authors notes (some I knew, some I didn't)].
Thanks so much for entering the contest ~ It was a welcome pleasure to read your work -- The imagery and metaphors are over the top. ~ You clearly keep any readers interest ~ and pleasantly put a smile on their face at the end. ~ Sorry it took me so long to judge ~ I went on a vacation and finally returned.
Florida Sunshine
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Great poem you got here. I love the way that it's quite ambiguous - in that you could see it as a poker game like you said in your AN or something totally different, like a wild beast of some sort. Excellent. Good luck in the contest
best wishes as always
Autumn Whisper
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I loved the serious tone of this poem...with a hint of poker. I love poker, I myself am a struggling amateur player...I have pretty good skill...but my emotion/no bankroll absolutely kill me.
Good luck in the contest!
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Great write! I enjoy playing poker. Nothing too big, just hanging with my buddies around the table with a couple beers. But this makes it so much more intriguing thank you my friend. Good luck.
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creative.
i wondered if you were a warrior... i earnestly couldn't tell until i got near the end... this is not a defamation of your work, it is a compliment... your imagery was wonderful. very nicely written. best wishes! -
Ha! bravo! fooled me, All in, indeed.
No limit Texas holdem, you sly fox. hehehe well done
Good luck in the contest.
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Well-expressed
Thnx for entering & Best of luck
GloriousGift
Heba -
Great bitting imagery
This is a poem that stirs your primal instincts, graffic, simple and to the point. A little funny about the all in at the end, pehaps a return to your card playing, never the less a great read! I am a new member of allpoetry and would cherish the fact that if you would read one of my poems and respond with nothing but complete honesty. We could open a coresponence. Thax!
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Very well written. I envisioned a full out bloody battle. I had no idea it was referring to poker.
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hm, probably not my topic of choice, but that's when you can tell a good writer. when you still like the piece.
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A wonderfully penned piece on poker. I too play the game and I am quite good
It is not often I find such a metaphor/theme used within a write. This is truly original and very creative. I'm not so sure I, myself could have penned this at all nevermind any better. Thank you for entering and good luck!
Blessings
Bel
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Yes, it is powerful. Cryptic too I suppose. Good.
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It's a rarity that I give out comments on writes in contests but there's something about this that just draws out my abstractive side. Keep this in as it will be listed under consideration
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Winning is the best revenge
Thank you for entering and good luck in the contest
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clever and very well written poem that you have penned here.
thank you so much for taking the time to post authors comments..it helps explain the poem alot better..very cool. -
Is this a David vs. Goliath kind of match? Think not, Well written and entertaining. Flows swiftly and easy to read. Enjoyed the poem.
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Not a poker player.(my brother tried to teach me once but he cheats) but still this makes a good metaphor for life, it reads well, and is enjoyable even to the the complete novice like me!
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very nice
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I wonder if you have every seen the bit on a game of Bridge that Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy did for a television special.
It is still shown on Cable now and then. You captured the spirit of their "love" matches. I recognize the rush of adrenalin and the devout concentration. Quite good, I would say. -
WoW great write i love the 3rd ¶ sharks eyes are like dolls eye,
and those are so very creepy, *hates doll eyes*
you've done a great job, keep it up.
~love -
I was a little lost at first then I read your comment, thanks for that. It made it way more interesting. This is an unusual peice but I liked it very much, very clever.
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I am blown
I was about to comment on dogs reading your masterpiece but came to know I had gone to them....
A superb orchestra of vivid symphonies....brilliant words..--Shubs -
Ahhh the battle field of the table top, give no quarter and take no prisoners. Let the weak not come back alive!! lmao..I really liked this one my friend
Great imagination and metaphor
Very well done
Larry -
haha. very clever, though I never would have got it (not even one tiny bit) if it wasn't for your notes at the bottom. I thought it was just about a fight. haha.
Very clever poem.
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Haha, I love this. I was reading it at first and I was like "...A battle? Is it a battle! Obviously it is." Then I read the bottom and for two seconds I was like "Alice in Wonderland?" Then it all came to me. Nice job! I loved the extended metaphor (just wanted to sound uber-smart.)
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wonderful imagery and metaphor~ made more so by me being unintiated til i read your notes!
I so love a squirmish...
elaine
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Captivating, invigorating, refreshing unique
Captivating I felt like I was reading Moby Dick... excellent unique fantastic imagery and form... "His gut churned nauseously
primal fight-or-flight mechanisms
unbidden, unconsciously deployed,
rush of blood gushed to throbbing heart
sinews twitched and danced inside
he fought to outwardly project bravado" Bravo! Two thumbs up!! Wishing you and yours much success in all of your endeavors Have a safe happy holiday
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nice write it was so descriptive. i loved it you are a great writer. keep upt he amazig work, i will definatly check out more of your work.
love you always,
april -
bravo
this was beautiful and it was hard for me to believe that it was about poker for some reason. lol. great job, the metaphors are wonderful. great job keep up the good work and always keep writing
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Its a good thing that you had what all that meant becuase now i really understand that poem and i like it. I've never been one to keep up with poker. You've got talent keep it up.
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At 1st I thought it was about a dog fight or something like that. But it was really good. Very unique write!
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ha... pretty cool how it's just about poker....
i thought this was interesting....
glad you included those comments, otherwise i would have gone on thinking it about some poor fool getting beat up...
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'It was the very end that gave it away for me..I knew it was about a social issue, but could not figure out in what context..thanks for the explanation..great write
Edited on Jul 01, 9:22 p.m. because 'spelling'. -
good
I really like this and at first I thought it a dark write til I saw your author notes.Great imagery and a very nice read.
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My oh my, this is full of imagery and metaphors that take my breath away. Just a fabulous write, there are layers here as well. Wonderfully done.
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