More and more I find
I wanna monopolize your time.
Be the one to play
Partner, not foe;
The one to show you,
The ropes and the rewards;
The one to hold you
Steady, never back.

Shaking these die in hand,
Luck and chance in high demand
Let me close
If that’s where I land.

I’m bartering for a little empathy,
Play along, follow my lead,
Watch and see:
I don’t want to be queen,
That’s not what I mean,
But I’ve planned moves ahead,
And you’re falling behind,
Confounded by someone else’s rules.

I’m not looking at the final score;
You mean so much more
Than owning colors on a board.
But you’re stuck on ‘Go’
Unwilling to flow forward,
For observation of observers.

It’s always the snake you encounter,
Never the ladder,
You alone have to power
To play or waste the game.
Maybe we’re not seeing the same.

Shaking these die in hand,
Luck and chance in high demand
Let me close
If that’s where I land.

Jessie Gutierrez