He said, "Gurl, I've made a life
Out of readin' people's faces
Knowin' what the cards were
By the way they held their eyes
So if you don't mind me sayin'
I can see you're out of aces
For a taste of your donuts
I'll give you some advice"

So I handed him my box
And he ate down my last swallow
Then he bummed a bag of popcorn
And munched it out of sight,
And the night got deathly quiet
And his faced lost all expression
He said, "If you're gonna play the game, gurl,
You gotta learn to play it right

You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealin's done

Every gambler knows
That the secret to survivin'
Is knowin' what to throw away
And knowin' what to keep
'Cause every hand's a winner
And every hand's a loser
And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep

And when he finished speakin'
He turned back toward the window
Crumpled up his popcorn bag
And faded off to sleep
And somewhere in the darkness
The gambler he broke even
But in his final words
I found a kernel I could keep.

Thank you Art.  I saw your quality when you started student teaching at SHS.  I advocated strongly that they hire you, and I am deeply grateful for the good times that we shared.  You have left a mark.  Always be well (or better).

Alicia