ACE OF DIAMONDS

by Gail Ghai


Luck is where you find it, my father used to say.
He arm-wrestled another pilot for our mother’s ornate
diamond engagement ring,

Hung a rabbit’s foot keychain on the rear-view
mirror of his ’51 Pontiac Chieftain
where it swung like a fuzzy white promise.

Thursdays, he played Poker. 
Friday nights, Bingo.
Saturday, the horses.

Once he tied for a jackpot:
a 1958 Chevy Impala!
His consolation prize,

a 32-piece set of Mel Mac
that he tried to hammer-smash
out of frustration.

Indestructible turquoise cups,
lemon plates, tangerine platter
that tinted our table each morning.

He looked for luck everywhere.
Between high silver wings of his Cessna.
Deep in his secretary’s cleavage.

But luck like the seasons can change colors. And when
cancer trumped him that early emerald spring,
he refused to believe that his luck had run out.

He kept booking flights. 
Kept gambling on his garden.
Ordered more rose bushes.

A double red bloom called Ace of Diamonds.
The brochure claimed: It’s good for
resisting diseases.


* * * * *

Gail Ghai is a poet, teacher, workshop leader, and author of three chapbooks of poetry as well as an art/writing poster entitled, “Painted Words.” She has served as Poet-in-Residence for the Pittsburgh Cancer Caring Center, North Allegheny School District and the International Poetry Forum. Awards include a Pushcart Prize nomination and a Henry C. Frick scholarship for creative teaching. Her work has appeared in Poet Lore, JAMA, Descant, Hektoen International Journal and Burning Wood Journal. She is moderator of the Ringling Poets in Sarasota, FL.