cloak

∴ yesterday, i dealt cards
from a melancholy trove
a solitaire of almost-ghosts
crafters of nether worlds

today, the board reawakens
the dice roll hollow, bare
i laugh—
tilting bone and ivory
tokins (と金) shift in measured march
stones slip through sifted memories
cloaked, yet still they linger
heart of dust

black and red collide—
but my gambit?
a falchion’s roar
that cleaves the dark—
a reckless wager
severing the rules
splintering the play
a rogue’s ember
ravenous in doubt’s thrall
in this unwritten game
how will we carve our marks
into the eddies of yestermore? ∴