I may not have been
a lawyer, like Matty
O’Meara, Kyle
Kerns or Lafayette Jones.
But I know how they
must have felt. I was a
professional card
player, blackjack mostly.
Blackjack, like the law,
is said to be governed
by rules, but y’all know
that the house always wins.
No matter what name
that house goes by. In both
worlds, elaborate
mythologies direct
behavior: luck, hot
streaks, equanimity,
fair play. These are the
justifications to
stay at the table.
Once you see through the veil,
you have two choices.
Stick in the game and do
your best, or bail out
and curse the deception.
But to see the truth,
not accept it, and keep
playing is the sure
route to a broken heart.