My last word of this game
he was confident of winning
trumps the fact he had inched
thirty points ahead,
my possession of the letters
transformed his verb E X I T E D
which he did not notice
till it was his turn and there

I’d won sixty amazing points
for my word E L A T E D
depositing me feet first
in the champion corner 
which helped make up for all those
long afternoons of childhood 
when he got to pole-vault  
to the house-of-seven-sons, 
he the brother with admission rights 
while I stayed stuck at home–too young, 

too dumb, too stupid G I R L
to follow
                        

He was roguishly good-looking
in a devil-may-care way
while she, built like a bulldog,
had hair a frizzy dross.
Her involvement with men prior
limited to shy platonic pals who
treated her to Budweiser
during bowling season.
But she was actually quite kind,
and skillful at the oven, 
surprised to learn she managed to win
the elevated Wife Position.
She didn’t know he had figured
a plain woman would never leave.
So when he chanced to mess around,
she wouldn’t dare to blame him.