Contents -BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

Carl Sandburg (1878–1967). Smoke and Steel. 1922.

II. People Who Must

15. Crapshooters

SOMEBODY loses whenever somebody wins.

This was known to the Chaldeans long ago.

And more: somebody wins whenever somebody loses.

This too was in the savvy of the Chaldeans.

They take it heaven’s hereafter is an eternity of crap games where they try their wrists years and years and no police come with a wagon; the game goes on forever.

The spots on the dice are the music signs of the songs of heaven here.

God is Luck: Luck is God: we are all bones the High Thrower rolled: some are two spots, some double sixes.

The myths are Phoebe, Little Joe, Big Dick.

Hope runs high with a: Huh, seven—huh, come seven

This too was in the savvy of the Chaldeans.