Monopoly on Life
I.
Our Monopoly set was a hodgepodge
of pieces from past generations.
There were two dogs
three horses, a thimble from
the world's fair, a button,
a wooden pawn that father
swore was from the original.
Everyone wanted
to be that pawn, tall wooden
and straight - though
my brother called it 'the
whiskey bottle' and to
cousin Bobby it was "The
Nightstick". To me, it was "The
Talisman", capable of winning
every game.
Sometimes I snuck it out
of the box to star in other
games- it conquered the world
in Risk, substituted for the brown
bishop in chess, but it never
quite fit into Life. No room for
a wife, or those little
plastic children.
II.
I've taken a ride on the Reading, traveled
from Atlantic to Pacific and back again,
and there's no Community Chest to welcome
me back with open arms. Boardwalk's
full of strangers.
Now there's never any houses, only hotels
providing I can pay the rent
and I'm closer to bankrupt
with every toss of the dice.
Where's the Free Parking we were promised,
laden with money for the taking? I want to pass
Go, collect my 200 dollars - maybe win
second prize in some beauty contest, collect
some money from sale of stock.
I can't remember
how we lost it.
We're missing our talisman,
and it's all
been far more Chance
than we're comfortable with.
Our Monopoly set was a hodgepodge
of pieces from past generations.
There were two dogs
three horses, a thimble from
the world's fair, a button,
a wooden pawn that father
swore was from the original.
Everyone wanted
to be that pawn, tall wooden
and straight - though
my brother called it 'the
whiskey bottle' and to
cousin Bobby it was "The
Nightstick". To me, it was "The
Talisman", capable of winning
every game.
Sometimes I snuck it out
of the box to star in other
games- it conquered the world
in Risk, substituted for the brown
bishop in chess, but it never
quite fit into Life. No room for
a wife, or those little
plastic children.
II.
I've taken a ride on the Reading, traveled
from Atlantic to Pacific and back again,
and there's no Community Chest to welcome
me back with open arms. Boardwalk's
full of strangers.
Now there's never any houses, only hotels
providing I can pay the rent
and I'm closer to bankrupt
with every toss of the dice.
Where's the Free Parking we were promised,
laden with money for the taking? I want to pass
Go, collect my 200 dollars - maybe win
second prize in some beauty contest, collect
some money from sale of stock.
I can't remember
how we lost it.
We're missing our talisman,
and it's all
been far more Chance
than we're comfortable with.