scrabble

it’s best to play on a level
surface. not all versions of the game
have the grooves
that hold in
place the tiles.

it’s best to play with people you trust.
when you reach into the grey
bag to grab your first 7, do
you caress the tile with your thumb?
your index
finger the carvings
to read the letters without seeing them?
all you feel are [ i ]s.

you are cheating.

the [ ] ones have all
the possibilities (26)
but you have to know them.
there are secrets: master
the two letter dictionary:
do am to in wo ow no za
there are others. [ s ] is the key.
careful what you pluralize.
[ q ] doesn’t always need [ u ].
you will never understand that.

placing those tiles onto the board
is a reckless commitment.
if you try to see the word
coming like a train first
it might be better

than letting it hit you on the table-
top. learn to read downwards
and sideways the words. skip

turns. don’t use a tile because you feel
you need to. the long-term
effects of tile usage can lead to
brain-damage. it will make you say
things you regret later on.
you can forget
your friends and lose your job

over the words you choose.
bends. zodiac. zap. pines.
mind what you pluralize.

you are thinking
the best ones are chemical
compound words.
xanthene, yellow not green,
phenoxybenzamine.
the words are sterile. there’s no
emotion or aura there.
scrabble takes it

all away from you. [ k ] (5).
[ x ] (10). its too tempting. u
don’t even care if it doesn’t land
on a colored square.
[ i ] (1) [ c ] (3)
[ u ] (1)
slipping away.
you’ve gotten so used

to reading upside down
you’re having trouble deciphering
what’s in front of you
pu edisthgir
pink [ * ]
where it started, you
made your first

mistake. what was
the word, again?
we both can’t
recall it.
subtract the remaining

point

values of the tiles
in your mouth
left over from
the final score.