The King of Hearts

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The pride of humanity
of glorious consciousness
upon a red carpet of vanity
this slipstream of existence
glimpsed but momentarily
through a blur
they loosely call reality
with a cry to the most high
through a clear blue sky
“Why are you hiding from me?”

Up a mystical sleeve
the eye to deceive
the mind to believe
at lightening speed
shuffling the deck
down mirrors of smoke
whilst smoking the rope
of lost faith and no hope
ever stroking the snake
that lies in wait
at the bottom of the pack

My chips all in
at Club 27 ♣️
snake eyes on the prize
for one last spin
unclenching
the hand of fate
holding fast
to a royal flush
up against a full house
of madness and regret
as the Ancients forsaken
covered my bet
with a forbidden blessing
that broke the bank
(it was one hell of a gamble)
The croupier got tossed
leaving the pit boss
with just a worn-out slogan
on his forked tongue
“No place closer to heaven
. . . than Club 27 ♣️”

yet still …
the barbarians
at the casino gates
counting the cost
of losses spiritual
wept and grieved
with sorrow deep
my winnings to retrieve
from a burnt out soul
laid fallow
in the ruins of tomorrow
revealing the dealing
and illuminating
with clarity
the nefarious cruelty
that denies
with sugar coated lies
and bets on the side
the sure thing
of a higher reality

As the King of Hearts
the Ace of Time and Space ♦️
keeps on asking the Jokers Wild
“Why are you hiding from me?”

~ David B. Redpath © 2018-2022

Artwork;
‘The Golden Rush’
~ by David B. Redpath © 2018 – 2022

From Europa …

. . . to Malacca.

Photography;
Stefan I. Redpath © 2020 – 2022

A chip off the old engine block 😎

99 thoughts on “The King of Hearts”

    1. My dealing days
      are done, Chris.
      For I never knew
      when to hold ’em,
      nor when to fold ’em.
      After that last flop,
      at the House
      of the Rising Sun,
      I’m on the turn
      down fourth street
      past the steamboats
      at the cotton docks,
      to that long and winding
      Mississippi river
      Forever to be ‘All In’.
      Never again to be
      the unlucky as sin
      lonesome loser.
      Just another
      rambling gambler.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. Oh my gosh David, I didn’t expect to end up with the Bee Gees in my head 😊It’s been ages!

        Big question. Is God’s heart ever mended? Christ carries His scars of love into eternity… 🤔
        and promises to wipe every tear, that they will be no more. Profound is an understatement.

        And you’re very welcome. Thanks for your thought provoking words!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Well, God is Love.
        He is jealous for us
        … and Jesus wept.
        Man has managed,
        all on his own, to go
        down a desolate road.
        I see God as the
        prodigal’s father,
        with Jesus as the
        good shepherd
        seeking the lost sheep.

        Liked by 5 people

      3. I agree! And see the same!
        And He’s our prodigal Father over and over, running to meet us. (Or seeking us lost when we stray, gently carrying us.) I so love those images, It so moves me. The reunion, the feasting, the mending of broken hearts 😊💚
        And the Bridegroom, loving and serving humbly to the point of death. Gah! There’s a richness there we could never get to the end of.

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Sorry I missed this interesting comment.
        This morning I really felt the need to shut some voices out, and the contrast between the Shalom voice of God’s word, with the shrill sounds of the world really struck me.
        I’m intrigued you feel you can’t take credit for this, maybe your heart was prompted? But I give you credit for the crafting 😁

        Liked by 1 person

  9. I always like the flow and glow
    of your poems, David, plus the
    double rhymes so many times
    creating lovely musicality,
    personality and real quality,
    just a slight reminiscence
    of the Beat poets once more
    though you opened a new door
    to your personal style in a while
    with beautiful artwork beside
    that comes from the very inside.
    So happy you let us all be part
    of what comes from the inner heart,
    from your inspiration and creation.
    Thank you for sharing your art.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  11. Now just a short question. Do you have any objections to being in my Lola blogs? I once asked Tara Caribou if she objected to me writing about Alaska, but she said it was big enough for me too! I hope Australia, the Hebel Hotel and a certain maker of Red Skies feels the same way as well?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  14. Have you read Stef Mo? Your style of writing always takes me to his book Panic! That and Leonard Cohen. Forgive me for commenting only on the structure. Your content is brilliant but just saying that wouldn’t really give a comment depth.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I am very happy with that comparison, Nitin.
      Stef Mo is brilliant, with a
      style reminiscent of my old friend, John Cooper Clarke,
      the Punk Poet. I was raised
      on the songs of Leonard Cohen
      and Bob Dylan, and the works
      of the beat poets. I guess it
      seeps into your veins.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  17. Oh!!! Love this, querido Mr. Redpath! Are you a bit of a seer love?
    So talented you are. Love the artwork in combination with the poem
    and the bits of Europe. Especially resonated with your lines
    “a world of mindless cruelty
    and heartless disparity
    that denies
    with sugar coated lies
    the Diamond reality”
    That´s exactly how I feel it, too…
    Sigh. Thank you for this, de corazon!! And isn´t the Sagrada Familia, well,
    sagrada? I was lucky to have enough spaciousness around me
    when I visited last, to really get a glimpse of its all-encompassing
    magnificence… Gracias! Muchos besotes desde Andalucia to Aussieland :)Cuidate mucho 💖🙏✨✨✨

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. “If I speak in the tongues of men
      or of angels, but do not have love,
      I am only a resounding gong or a
      clanging cymbal.”
      ~ Paul of Tarsus

      “Fear is the path to the dark side.
      Fear leads to anger. Anger leads
      to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
      ~ Yoda of Dagobah

      “Do not be afraid of the terrors
      of the night, nor the arrow that
      flies in the day.”
      ~ King David

      Thank you right royally, Queen Gypsy.
      You inspired me to update this piece
      with a bit of a rewrite. I hope you like.
      Wherever your may roam,
      the King of Hearts ❤️
      watches over your path.
      As for the pestilence of night 🌃 🌕
      … this too shall pass 😎

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. … somewhere in the darkness
      the gambler he broke even 😥
      But in his final words
      I found an ace that I could keep ♦️

      🎶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 🎶 😎

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    1. Thank you regally, fair Athena 👑
      ‘Tis like a hot shot of chocolate milk
      to hear from you, Basilike. I do trust
      you are keeping it all together, there
      in Neo-Classical Athens 🙏

      Like

      Reply

    1. Thank you awesomely, Lia 🙏
      Welcome back to the land of
      bloggery 😎 I was just writing
      something you might like . . .

      Hearts turned on
      Hearts switched off
      Hearts that are hungry
      Hearts that stay soft
      Hearts getting hard
      Hearts that stray
      Hearts of innocence
      that just love to play
      Hearts way too heavy
      Time to throw stuff away
      Hearts that get betrayed
      and freeze up inside
      Hearts that lose the way
      A walk on the wild side
      Hearts making a choice
      Hearts taken for a ride
      Hearts that rejoice
      and turn back the tide

      ~ David B. Redpath

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. What a joy to see this, David
        So tuned in to this energy,
        And hearts that crave it
        Such a perfect poem
        For a nearing-spring morn
        In it I sense the tides are reborn
        I was writing something too
        Perhaps we’re all on some big blue
        Sea of love connecting 🌀🌊♾
        With open hearts of truth. 💛🔆
        My, you’re talented, strewth. 😎😇

        Liked by 1 person

  29. much to unpack here, David, and I have only just begun — as The Carpenters might say —but I enjoyed the mesmeric images, the gambling references and that haunting/desperate refrain, why are you hiding from me?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Let the cards fall where they may.
      At least for today, a kiss for luck
      and we’re on our way 🎶🍀 😊
      Yes, spanning the height, depth,
      and breadth of the heart is a life
      long pursuit. Thanks John for
      taking the time for a peek at what
      I’ve only just begun.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      3. no, David, I didn’t. I did my share of wandering: Asia, America, Vienna, Prague —but there came a time when I didn’t feel the need to travel; however it looks like many of us will be spending considerable time in our rooms anytime soon 🙂 😦

        Liked by 1 person

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