White

—

the dominoes fall over
and the cards play out
and the pawn advances
and somebody says gin
and the pebbles go around
and there's an ace on the river
and the thirty-first mine is marked
and the queen can do as she pleases
and the marble has sufficient momentum
and the white ball rolls slowly over the green
and the horseshoe misses the pole for the last time
and when the marker reaches the last row, one starts all over
and so one makes plans to meet again next Tuesday for a rematch
and places the pieces into the proper styrofoam dent
and makes sure all dice are accounted for
and puts all the balls in the triangle
and folds up the board

except that is not how it really goes.

in truth, there is only one domino
and it has glued itself to the ground
so it will never fall

the pawn sees no need to advance
for the pawn is much happier
where it is

the marble cannot understand gravity
so, at the top of the ramp,
it rolls up into nothing

the only thing which remains the same is the queen
for the queen can always do as she pleases.