Those of us of a certain age

will remember the penny amusement machines

as they caught the blowsy light off the sea

with their feet on bare boards

on piers from Worthing to Caister and how

 

we raked through pockets weighed down by copper

with gambling intentions that felt good and proper

early adrenaline supercharged

preparing to use our Britannia discs

taking what seemed such worthwhile risks. 

 

One specific machine I recall

had a curving spiral that spun a ball

released by a lever pulled back by the hand

designed with cunning to cause a flop

as the ball went astray all over the shop

 

it danced on springs across the divide

with the slimmest chance of causing a fall

of coins in the tray to take away.

My brother worked out a method to win

just the right pressure and the ball went in.

 

Sixty years later I saw one for sale

the price of it causing my face to pale

the sort of thing that popstars buy

to put in their hallways to amuse the band

to remind them how fickle is the fate of the hand.