I am
see what
just one quarter.
the joystick.
kick
and reach
the latest
I reveal.
Place
Move the claw
the box,
through
prize machine.
I am new
your hand
inside my stomach.
tilt me sideways.
the dark hole.
Play me well—
and cheap,
onto
If it misses,
Bend down
You’ve won:
a person.
Who is it?
A burger flipper
or chicken plucker,
An Uber driver or big-rig trucker,
an internet stripper
or motherfucker,
a babysitter
No,
or single-mom,
a banker,
a prison dweller
a doctor,
or homeless teen—
a world-class lawyer—
A piercing yawp,
or a cold blue silence, No,
a fist of blood,
and a small
dead body.
Sir,
a claw’s
no good
if it hasn’t
won;
insert
another
quarter
on
my
tongue.
Photo credit: Jon Tyson
