Bets Laid for the Mocking Crowd

The devastating drink upon which
 man lays his bet; the dusk-time red in his glass -
the glittering tonic
 soothed in gin -
the warming sips through the heart and lungs when
 the wheel of his roulette lays him
bare for the evening, etherized by dawn
by whiskey -
the Devil's breath its aroma;
its taste the juice of poison berries.
He returns to the drab, damp brick
in amber lights,
lays his ante, shakes dice.

 A goblet of beer then for now. It's early yet.
The cards have only just been shuffled.
A shot to the evening star,
the sun's worried tear, afraid to leave man alone at night,
 knowing better than he his folly. A shot, then,
to the sun's tear, slowly dripping behind horizon;
   and the antagonizing stars arriving
   to watch and rant, laugh and jeer, wink sinister - the demons -
 saying, "We are here still. Why should you slow your drink?"
and, Oh! how man falls.
At dawn, the man
 bowing bankrupt and tragic;
the last stars scornfully and laughing go away.
 The sun nervously opens her eye upon this man, her face
wet with the dew of tears
she sweated through her nightmare sleep.
 She prays over the fool while he sleeps
under her watchful, mourning gaze. Then,

Dusk, the ante, cards shuffled.
 The roulette wheel lands on bleak.
A bet, a tear,
and a billion winking sneers.

gentle day

the lake water has gentle conversation with the shore. a cloud of birds flies just over the water and turns, whips around, and is lost in the glistening of the sun on the ripples. just following, a jetliner is seen overhead due to the reflection of sunlight off its metallic body. a crowd of ducks float by, against the current, effortlessly. a duck guffaws - "whock whuack quack!" - as if his neighbor quietly made some quip regarding the guy watching from the dock; or otherwise, startled, to say, "something just touched my foot!" the distant jet, long past, now sounds. an old war plane is heard before it passes above. it hums steadily and flies over. everything keeps moving, except for me, sitting in the sun to warm myself. the water warns the shore, "I will soon replace you." two days of rain were not enough to refill the lake, but fires burn sporadically around as homeowners catch up on yard work, long behind schedule due to the burn ban, recently lifted.

Do You Wake in the Middle of the Night and Can't Get Back to Sleep?

I woke up at 3a.m. I'm finishing Barry Lyndon now. I dozed out a few times, but didn't really sleep. So, do I start my day now? I don't know.
A whale's tail, according to dreams, is a powerful propellant against that which swims behind; and a bicycle can be peddled, with wings hoisted above that flap by a rope pulled by either arm of the rider, to fly.
Why in that house, all to myself, were those two moochers with me? These women who want to talk, have nothing to say, and never want to listen. I could say something more to them, but they don't care. They will use it as a segue, poor as it may be, to say something else of their own.
My God. I planned to buy groceries. Why did they buy four cartons of milk? And all those prepared and snack foods, overlooking produce and items with which to prepare meals? and then expect repayment for all this I do not care for? Out of my dream, women. I've a wedding for my good friend Barry Lyndon to attend.
What an outlandish wedding with all the accoutrement. Dreadfully long ceremony, disgustingly uncomfortable clothing, and everyone seems to snub each other. I'm going to hit on all the women, steal away with each for just long enough to lure their desire, then drop them, all to spite their husbands and their own snotty upittyness; and I'm going to kneel here, now that the ceremony is over and everyone is escorted to the dining hall, and disrobe; and steal this figurine, just because people with this much will not notice this is missing - why, a figurine of my dear friend Barry Lyndon!
(Oh, I see I'm closely watched by a guard. Let's see how many garments I can remove before people passing and this guard who stares on me become uncomfortable.) There, all done. To eat!