Hands of a Gambler

"Actually he died on Tuesday night."

A breath long and laboured.
Old Sanderson lies dead.
Without his possessions or quick banter.
A man I didn't know well
Didn't want to.

Sanderson's life
filled with dodgy deals.
A card in the hands of a gambler.
A cutlass in the hands of a pirate.

He was a man we all mocked.
Irritated by idiosyncrasies.
Sheepskin coat.
Bald old geezer.

A coin waged on Ali or Foreman.
Heads or tails?
Bright and revolving.
A life filled with incidents and relations
and dangerous dealings.

- the coin revolving.

With quivering lip
his son explained to me
the horrible revelation
as I talked in present tense about his dead father.

A sudden goodbye for them.
The constant earth spins on without him.
Heads or Tails?

The Millenium he will not see, so
take him under your wing.
Thank you do.