for simple pleasures of conquest

we played marbles, for marbles

with marbles  again and again

and bagged them

safe and drawstring tight

a natural balance of loss and gain.

Like glass eyes they spun in our palm sockets

leapt and sparkled

in gutters or playgrounds

from three finger cradles

whirling swirling in small tracks

clickety clacks

macho skirmishes

the milky dervishes

ali bonkers or stately steel bearings,

tugging at short trousers

"play me !   play me!"

grinding their teeth together impetuously

raced away like the children that owned them

 

entrepeneurs of glass

before and after the boring class,

class work then glass work

spinning surging

"play me!  play me!

until i'm bottled "

 

        and youth comes crashing in

        through the years.