The Cards I'm Dealt

Adapting to the cards I'm dealt, I can't

Bemoan what I’ve received, but I must

Consider how to use the cards I have:

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Discard bad cards like bad habits, then I

Exchange the flower backed cards, which show

Florid xochitl's, a flower meaning life.

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Guarantees don't come in cards, it’s chance-

However cautiously I exchange or plan,

I am bound by wit and circumstance.

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Just or unjust the cards are drawn, I have

Knaves and add nothing to the pair, but I

Let my bluff begin with a quiet mask

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My hand is sparse, but I must play, I know

'Nothing's over until it's over', while we

Offer out our bets and bluffs and calls.

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Players calm and settle up, their eyes

Quickly survey the flowered backs, and their

Reservations hidden in quiet faces.

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Slowly each player reveals their hand,

Turning over small pairs and straights, and I

Unveil my cards knowing I lost, but still:

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Victory is more than one hand, so I

Watch while the dealer issues new cards, and

Xochitl cards spread new life around the table.

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Yielding to memories of the thrills I’ve felt, and

Zeal for this life as I use the cards I'm dealt.