CARD PLAYERS IN PEGO


This poem reflects an aspect of Spanish village life which remains unchanged since our arrival 28 years ago. In bars, squares and community centres men meet up in the afternoons to play cards and dominos, the seated players surrounded by standing observers, intent on the game. This winter scene is from the small, inland town of Pego in the Marina Alta area of the the Costa Blanca.




CARD PLAYERS IN PEGO.


Weekend afternoon, ‘paseo’ void
of children and coffee drinkers,
only ‘viejos’ staking their place,
wooden slat table warmed with green felt,
flat caps covering cool heads,
bent low in concentration,
time gnarled hands span hidden cards,  
visible to the circled watchers,
waiting, hawked like the booted eagle
gliding low over the ‘Bodoix’,
tension tightening, breath held as
haunted lizard escapes hooked talons,
released cry rises, cards slap in triumph,
laughter floats into the ‘Pego’ sky,
stark blueness framing ‘Platanus’
dappled trunks, bleached white bones,
winter pruned limbs jabbing fingers,
the skeletal knots of boned knuckles
mirroring earth tempered joints  
of the card players below.


© 2018 Jacqueline Claire Knight.  All rights reserved. 


Comments

  1. Anonymous25 February 2018 at 02:44

    Thank you - what a vivid image!
    - Nick

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous7 March 2018 at 06:05

    I´ll have to read this one to Kraz, since he fit in so well with the Parcent card players! _Jess

    ReplyDelete

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