jacks

he scattered covered smothered our hearts
across grounds across yards
but there was no play
just girls jagged shooting darts
all in hopes
to be a part of the game

he had balls
that he bounced between gems
all of them lovers
a few of them friends
he juggled more than any of his brethren
carried all his eggs in one basket
which made him a legend

sometimes he'd pretend he wasn't taking
advantage of them
he'd gain fans and mesmerize
the most glamorous sharped-edged spikes
into laying in his eyesight
girls hoping to be onesies
settling for twosies
often times so woosie at being swooped into his hot, greasy palms
it would happen so fast and wouldn't be long, no

he scratched his knuckles to snatch me
sometimes he had an achey back or ashy knees
sometimes i rusted on playgrounds just waiting to be seen
others were easier to hold simultaneously
he scattered me so far one time i never came back
i layed in green mangers until i was nearly buried, sometimes attacked
but one day i grew legs
turned rusted angles into angel wings
and flew away from childish things and
charming kings maurading as princes

he never grew up and
shot craps
he never gambled with one love
and closed gaps
he surveyed the fields and
kept his pockets fat with
girls who weren't dumb
girls who weren't ugly
but girls who were comfy
being asphalted until grubby-handed game players
take their pick
regarding these jewels as if they were sticks