Annotated Poem Number 1

The silver king{1} banded with the dark queen{2}, United under the all-powerful one{3}. Off to war, of armies of four{4}, together with the warrior son{5}. Battle was fierce, many were slain; The wounded wound-up in the history books{6}. The militant{7} family crusaded on, Striking fear and bringing heavy-hearted looks. Victory was assured, no doubt to be had. Until the mighty three{8}, Heads of armies be... Rose to crush the combative family! The military may trump the house of royals{9}, the farmhands{10}, and those of trades{11}. But aces rule high, and the army spread thin{12}, So goes the game of Spades. 1 King of Spades: second highest ranking card in the game of Spades 2 Queen of Spades 3 Ace of Spades: highest trump card 4 The four suits in a deck of cards: Spades=military, Hearts=royals, Diamonds=merchants and traders, Clubs=farmhands and peasants 5 Jack of Spades 6 After each trick in spades, the resulting four cards are collectively known as a book. 7 suit of Spades 8 The aces of Clubs, Diamonds, and Hearts 9suit of Hearts 10 suit of Clubs 11 suit of Diamonds 12 All of the trump cards (the spades) are spread out amongst the four players through the randomness of the shuffle.