Jack Deneke

 Late Night Sins

The dealer shuffles the deck.
The cards skid across the table.
Tobacco smoke fills the air,
And the table is silent.

The cards skid across the table.
A seven, a two, and a five, all hearts
And the table is silent.
All feelings of glee or sorrow suppressed,

A seven, a two, and a five, all hearts
The stakes are raised,
All feelings of glee or sorrow are suppressed
Watching as your life is drained away.

The stakes are raised,
Tobacco smoke fills the air
Watch as your life is drained away,
As the dealer shuffles the deck.

A Recipe for Contentedness

Beef Stew is not a difficult dish to make,
it just takes a little while to cook.
Start out by preparing your ingredients:
chop up the onions, potatoes, and carrots
slice the beef into cubes and toss ‘em in a pan
enjoy the melodic sizzle of the meat,
a sound you’ll never get sick of.
Once that’s done, throw it all in a pot to let the flavors blend
and pour a bit of broth to get things started.
throw in a bundle of spices for good measure,
after all, it’s 2024, eatin’ good ain’t a crime.

Once the flavors soak in, toss out the spices,
pour in the rest of the broth, let it sit
Rome wasn’t built in a day,
and you’re soup ain’t gonna be done for another hour.

As you sit by, watch your family come home
watch them appreciate your handiwork
complimenting you, for once, on a good meal
you know you don’t cook often enough,
so you might as well make it a treat.

The soup is about ready to eat.
Your dad tosses a loaf of sourdough into the oven
it’ll be a great side for this homecooked meal.
Gather around that dirty old table,
stained with Lord knows what,
and enjoy a warm bowl of beef soup,
your father’s bread balancing on the rim.

While you’re still young and able,
it gets far too easy to take these moments for granted.
The world can be a cruel and unforgiving place, as they say
But it gets a hell of a lot easier
when you have people to carry the burden with you,
and a bowl of warm stew to bring them all together.