Just Passing Through - A Poetry Dice 3000 Entry - Week 12 -

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You, Me and Poetry

This is my weekly post for the Poetry Dice Challenge. I have been trolling it for a while and keep meaning to enter, but life keeps getting in the way. I saw the dice on this one though and I thought I would try my hand at this.

Considering all the hullabaloo over here, I saw the dice and thought - well isn't this ideal? So... without further ado.. Here is my homage to the last year that I lived in Vegas. By the end of living there, I had seen so many people just like this.

Psst: Don't forget the Mood Music :D

Just Passing Through

Sitting at the edge of the world,
lies a little city that feeds on dreams and circumstance.
She'll still your heart and your wallet if you give her the chance.
Those with good sense will turn back now.
Though, if you're in a gamblin' mood, then come on down.

The darkness, stretched for miles comes to a halt near the strip.
On one end, world's largest flashlight, sitting on top of an onyx pyramid,
streaming one pillar of light into the desert sky
beckoning weary travelers as they speed by.

This is the story of those that wander through the desert these days.
There used to be a shooting star or a twinkle, something cosmic to guide the way.
This is a land where merely showing up will fill you with superstition.
Your convictions will be tested with a smile.
Now, all you need is a billboard and a dream...
and a lot of money.

Lady Luck whispers in your ear, "Hey you."
You have been driving for hours and you could use a break.
She continues on, "Come try your hand at the table. Flirt with the Wheel of Chaos and determine your destiny!"
It wasn't the plan but you can plainly see that the lady is on your side.

Why not?

So, you flick your blinker on and follow the arrow that says this way to downtown Las Vegas.
It's only a pitstop. You don't plan on staying all night.
As you cross the bridge from Flamingo Street,
heading down to where the crossroads meet,
you see dueling casinos vying for your attention.

Thunder in your heart,
lighting in in your brain,
you're ignited by possibilities.

So, you start with what you see first, throw two quarters in...
Gritting your teeth as the wheel starts to spin, then stops abruptly.
Three consecutive matching icons, which means you win.
Walk to another machine and it happens again...
You're on a roll already.

And this is how it goes for five minutes or so and with each little win, you grow more bold.
You continue on through the night,
the jingle jangle of the Tambourine man, following you from the slots to the floor.
You're jonesing for something more.

Bets are made, as the night wears on.
Your tide begins to turn,
the shrinking wallet in your pocket burns to turn in.
Lady Luck has nothing more to say,
words of encouragement forgotten.
You should call it quits, grab a room and count some sheep.
Instead, you continue feverishly, trying to catch up what you lost.
Trying to reason how you can afford the cost,
figuring what you can cut and what you can forgo,
for one more chance to throw the dice and bring the winning back.

Finally, you are done by no choice of your own.
You're forced to turn back and go home,
another brave traveler broke.