Conqueror’s Taw
Skipping worn Keds beneath laughter,
yesterday's jettisoned leaves soon to become IED shrapnel,
our ingrained images born of
eyes afire with anticipation,
peering at the unknown,
seeing where horizons fall endlessly,
appear like sunlight chasing the night.
Our fist full of marbles,
security for the journey,
seeking challenging games
in daddy's adult world.
Playground lessons,
mibs in the circle of growing up,
colors changing,
translucent some,
opaque others,
steelies the prize,
all for the taking,
aim your taw.
How twisted the game can become for adults.
Rules for the game
from sandlot
to asphalt alleys,
to the potholes and trenches of battlefields,
remain the same,
save the cost of the game.
Taws perfected early on
by classroom,
schoolyard,
graduation,
and boot camp,
Rolling the taw between life's fingers,
Sharpening instincts for the game.
Sometimes we rest,
staring at ceilings
beneath shelters from fear,
or gilded maxima of temporary joy.
Yet…
Our eyes
remain unfulfilled like dry beds of earth
awaiting the rain,
gazing skyward for answers,
the pockets of marbles
now replaced by dusty rocks exploding
or
ammo clips
or
green hundreds
or for some
the bent fingers clinched about
their own casket handles.
Beware the conqueror’s misguided fingers
poised ready about the stock,
the trigger,
the taw,
picking mibs.
People have been playing marbles and marble-like games for thousands of years. It is thought that marbles started with the cave-people playing with small pebbles or balls of natural clay. Clay balls have been found in the tombs of Egypt, they have also been found in Native American burial grounds. They have also been discovered in the ancient Aztec pyramids. In recent history, boys (and tomboys) used to play marbles in the vacant lots of the world. Circles drawn in the dirt around mibs (targeted marbles) in the center became the primary focus of every day’s awakening. Players anxiously awaited their turn to step up to the circle, curl a “taw” (sometimes called the shooter) between their fingers, take aim, and try to take all the marbles. Such has Putin’s version of the game been played against Ukraine for the past 7 months. (A flash fiction piece of prosetry exploration)
Speaking about "losing your marbles." Putin, losing inch by inch in a game where "winner takes all." Is now threatening to bring out the big guns and I hope it doesn't result in WW III when the free world has to step in and stop the autocratic world one more time. The nuclear plants seem to be the first to be knocked out of the ring and that is very dangerous, indeed.
Ron