From some old country
This is the oddest card game
With rules to make your hair stand on end
No use trying to make sense of it
Just accept that it’s the way it is
Don’t bother asking too many questions
They call it Clabiash quite similar to Tarbish
It’s still a favorite of the Maritimes
Played back in the day
As far back as I remember
Come the weekend let guests arrive
Clear the table bring out the cards
A round of beers before we start
Bids to launch the rounds
Partners ruse and much excitement
Base count one sixty four
Trumped or sandbagging
Twenties bellies fifties
Count your points or else go bate
Absurd rules lead to hot tempers
Misplays turn to family feuds
Otherwise a lot of fun around the table
A beer or two resets the mood
Playing Clabiash all weekends through
Published in my 24-page photo/anthology ~RANDOM MUSINGS VOL.3~ 2020
AP: Honorable Mention 2021
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.