WHEN WE TAUGHT OUR GRANDCHILDREN HOW TO GAMBLE


I ran across some photos the other day
hanging off an old branch on our family tree…
and as photos often do they awoke a memory in me.

I love how that happens…sometimes as down memory lane I ramble
a simple photograph or two can make a memory unscramble.

It was the night we taught our grandchildren to play poker
(If their mom and dad were there they might’ve been appalled!)
The night we took our four grandchildren…
and made gamblers of them all.

In our defense poker teaches many life lessons…
and to our grandchildren we wanted to relay them….
Like how as important as the cards we’re dealt…
It’s even more important how we play them.

It teaches us how to read another person…
when to bluff…and when to wait…
And how every now and then you need to take a chance
on drawing to an inside straight.

It teaches us when we have the cards….to enjoy the moment…that feeling…the rush
and how…no matter how we’d like it to be different…a full house always beats a flush.

Poker teaches us how to lose with dignity…when all we needed was that ace!
And when we have the winning hand…how to win with decency and grace.

We like to think when our grandchildren look back on our times together
They’ll remember all the fun we had…
They’ll remember our support and our praise…
They’ll remember dinners around our table
celebrating birthdays and holidays…

And in those quiet moments…
perhaps when they see an old photo hanging from our family tree
a memory will unscramble…
and they’ll remember when they were young
the night Nana and PopPop taught them how to gamble.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2024

Poem

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Rodrigues Avatar
September 2, 2024 at 6:54 AM
Love the title! LOL! I love playing cards with my grandkids and have had insight their parents don’t always see. When cousins freely play without prying eyes of mom and dad they are “themselves.” One fun card game is “Flux.” We especially love Pirate Flux. The rules and goals change.
Get a Premium Membership
Turn off ads, get more exposure for your poetry, and get more features with a Premium Membership.
Book: Diverse Voices: The Poetry of Human Rights and the Pursuit of Peace