Maybe Angel Wings
maybe angels don't
really have wings
perhaps it's our vision
at sea
we cannot quite see
circular trail of light
. enfolding
surrounding them
light emanating
creatures of light
capable of
instant flight
maybe angel wings
appear
disappear
as needed
maybe they fold up tightly
maybe they
have the ability
to grow long
and long
and long
or become tiny
or to multiply
into many wings
you cannot
look an angel
in the face
the power of the
light
would destroy
the human being
I think they live
in the skies
🤔. and dress up
as clouds
visible then
to our eyes
watery Bay rum
iced wine
ice cubes floating
vodka tonic
straight up
on the rocks
martini olives
strawberry cordial
elder berry exploding
peppermint schnapps
white wine carafe
red wine bottle
white grape sherry
elder berry
scotch
drambuie in a barrel
gin gimlet
manhattan
spicy caesar
tequila sunrise sunset
cognac
armagnac
over proof moonshine
brandied hot toddy
vermouth
in truth
all of them spirits
Bourbon
Baltic amber earrings
velvet gold turban
crimson fingertips clutch
a decanter of bourbon
aquamarine eye shadow
blue broach from past birthdays
cherry smeared lip gloss
on cigarettes in ashtrays
flat gold floppy slippers
silken day night wear
filled plates for no guests
an empty golden chair
baltic amber earrings
velvet gold turban
crimson fingertips clutch
a decanter of bourbon
Gertie's Highs and Lows
Her
finger has grown numb from pushing the button on the slot machine. She always hit the maximum button. When
she loses she will say that it was a mistake or that her elbow hit the max
button, A ratio of win to loss was in the black at the moment.
Gertie
used the slot machine as an extra income. It
brought in an easy $500 a week so Gertie quit her part-time job in the
restaurant and became a full-time gambler. She also became a part-time mother,
a part-time wife and a full-time liar and cheat.
Her
rationalization was that when she made it big she would stop but then came the
terrible worry of 'how would she explain
all the money to her family.'
Gertie
lost about 8 pounds in six months in the time she had been gambling and all
of her friends were sure that Gertie was
working out at the gym.
Once
in the casino Gertie had no interest in food or in anything other than playing
her three favourite slot machines.
Now
inevitably one October evening Gertie hit a streak of bad luck. She had spent
$650 and had won absolutely nothing.
Gertie
hit the machine the ATM conveniently located in the casino got out another $500
which she also lost.She was then forced to use her credit card, took out
another $500 and she lost that too. After one brief win or she was $100 to the
better, she gambled it all and now she
was empty-handed !
The
realization hit her that she was also really hungry. She doesn't have cab fare
home . It's pouring rain and she doesn't even have an umbrella.
Gertie
felt like crying but what would be the point.
A
young woman in the casino uniform came by offering free snacks and a free
coffee which Gertie gratefully accepted ignoring the dirty look she received
for not leaving a tip.
Gertie
sat in the corner listlessly watching the other players and hoping that the
rain would abate a little so that she
could walk home before it became dark.
Well
the rain let up slightly and she decided that she should just better go home.
She
was almost at the door when she heard a voice behind her " excuse me ma'am
did you drop this..."
A
well dressed handsome young man with piercing dark eyes held out a slot machine
voucher. He looked oddly familar.
Gertie reached out and took it not really sure why
she did. She looked at it gasping. It
was a voucher for $272.08.
When
she looked up there was no young man. Now Gertie thought of nothing except that
she should gamble. .
"This
time," she thought "I'm going to use a slot machine I've never tried
before". She walked to the other end of the building and sat down in front
of a quarter machine "Lord of the Rings".
She
inserted the voucher, hit maximum and won the bonus round. She won 7 bonus
rounds in a row and then the jackpot!
Her
winnings were now $9799.
Bills
and whistles were going off as attendants rushed to her side.
In a daze Gertie handed over her ID and said
that she would like her winnings in cash please.
"Are
you sure Madame ? That's quite a bit of
money..."
"Yes
in large bills please..."
"Please
come with us"
They
escorted Gertie to a small office where she signed a piece of paper, checked
her ID again and counted out $9799 in 97 hundred dollar bills,one $50 bill ,two
$20 bills,one $10 bill,one $5 dollar bill and a couple of twonies.
Gertie
asked if they would call her a cab and one came within 10 minutes waiting for
her just outside the casino door.
She
got into the back seat of the black car and shut the door.
"Where
to Miss?" asked the driver turning around to face her.
Gertie
gasped in shock.
The
driver was the same man who had given her the money voucher.
"Aren't
you forgetting something ?" he sneered.
"You
owe me a lot of money!"
"Oh
"said Gertie "Okay."
Gertie
opened her purse and counted out $300.
The
man grabbed it from her and laughed
in a nasty kind of way.
"You
can keep the 300 I want the near $10,000 that you just won".
"But
I won it at the Lord of the Rings machine".
"You
took something that didn't belong to you. That voucher didn't belong to
you"
"But
you gave it to me" said Gertie.
"Get
out of my car" said the man.
Gertie
did so. She was very frightened and she then saw that she actually was not in a
cab after all but a sleek black car.
She
was feeling disoriented and had a headache from hunger . She was shivering in the rain and very puzzled.
"Look
I'll tell you what my dear- you keep the money."
He
turned full face to her.
"If
i ever see you around this casino again you will be very sorry that's all I can
tell you."
Gertie
turned to walk back inside the casino.And just then a yellow and black cab
pulled up. She got inside and had a safe
uneventful ride back home. She would never
understand fully what had happened. Perhaps the man was an angel. Perhaps he was
a spirit.
Her
great uncle had been a notorious gambler back in his day. Maybe it was his
ghost!
Perhaps
that was why he seemed so familiar. He reminded her of a picture she had seen of
her great uncle who was the black sheep of the family but he was spoken of in a
most affectionate way.
Anyway
for better or worse there were no more wins or losses for Gertie at the casino
because she never ever gambled at any casino again
Angel
Edwards
January
20 2020
Angel Edwards is a singer
songwriter guitarist published writer published poet with 4 books from
Vancouver BC Canada
member of AFM local 145
BMI SOCAN
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