28 November 2023

Carrom Coin

By the bench in the park,
Found a carrom coin this morning.

My math teacher would've liked 
To know the probability of getting-
A white coin, only a black coin 
Or the one other than the pink coin-

The simplest answer to that 
Question is 'one' and the coin
I found was the Queen.

Somewhere on a tattered board 
Her black soldiers and the white ones
Might have been waiting for her tirelessly
And the striker might have already-

Slipped into existential questions
Of why or for whose sake it must 
Strike purposelessly.

And the four jobless blokes 
Sitting around the board
For an afternoon session,
With talc powder in hand-

Might be considering the option of
Elevating ranks of one the
White soldiers temporarily
By painting it in pink or otherwise.

The Queen meanwhile sits here
On my table offering me 
A chance of revenge over all those,
Childhood bullies-

Who never let me win 
In a fair game.