When I Gambled in a Dust Bowl Town | Teen Ink

When I Gambled in a Dust Bowl Town

August 12, 2012
By LilyOceanLover BRONZE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
LilyOceanLover BRONZE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
4 articles 1 photo 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Mama always said life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're gonna get." -Forest Gump


Men abandonin their families,
their souls damaged with each sooty shuffle of the cards,
drinkin up their money,
and dreams,
and problems.
Men gamblin their very own hearts.

Not thinkin, only about
Hollarin and cussin,
And the cold, hard cash,
That’s now their greatest love.

These men all have a different story,
and one poor soul’s lost everything.
While black, hollow eyes antagonize him here,
blue ocean eyes gaze across the barren farm,
their long lashes only waitin for Daddy to come back.

In his ol’ labyrinth,
He’s stuck at a dead end.

By looks,
he’ll be dead soon,
less he wins a dollar or two.


The author's comments:
I wrote this poem while reading Out of the Dust in middle school. I really wanted to capture the severity of the men, how many lives were blown away, and how many families were permanently damaged. This poem is meant to be sinister and dark.

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