Casino
You can tell they’re
coming in, the guide confides
By their happy,
smiling faces!
They still have all
their money!
We stop and watch the coaches
Filled with many Chinese men
The punters and the gamblers
Bussed in to the casinos
Brought here free of charge
To come and lose their cash
And later in the day
We wander cautiously inside
Out of prurient curiosity
Across the sticky carpets
And through the gaming rooms
To see them huddled round
The dealers and the croupiers
At the carefully spot-lit tables
Unsmiling now, grim-faced
Eyes glazed in worry
Brows folded in concentration
Wagering on the roll of the dice
The turn of a single card
Or the number on the spinning wheel
In games of blackjack, poker and roulette
And though they know the odds
Are stacked against them
They see the pile of chips before them
Their stakes slowly shrinking
And still they chase their daily dream
Trying out their latest System
For the one big win that will beat The House
And save them from their losses
And in the glitzy entrance lobby
We gaze in wonder at the floor
Where bars of solid gold
Are set in glassy blocks below our feet
A tantalising glimpse of the riches
That lie beyond the grasp
Of long- addicted losers
And then we see them on the bus again
Their faces hard and set
Being taken back to where they came
Now watch them
leaving, says the guide
Not so happy now! He laughs
Their money’s gone,
gambled away
With all their
hopes, poor suckers!
As they leave to find more money
To come and lose it once again
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