Winner

By Cliff Lake

 

Winner

 

What cold win have you got to now?

Why does uneasiness still furrow your brow?

How did the undercutting not work out as planned?

Why has the victory left you this unmanned?

 

What are you chasing that never strayed?

Was it yourself that you outplayed?

What did you claim that would not belong?

Was the knife at your back yours all along?

 

Who is inflamed with all your betraying?

That is the shame of all your preying.

Success you claim, but it’s loss you’re displaying,

There is no game if you’re the only one playing.

 

What was gained at the end of day,

Was it too little, will you not say?

Are your actions too demeaning to defend?

Was there ever a meaning to the end?

 

Why did the everything go sideways to the plan?

You were the comic playing the straight man.

How did the whole everything go so wrong?

You were the fox in the chicken coop all along.

 

Who is inflamed with all your betraying?

That is the shame of all your preying.

Success you claim, but it’s loss you’re displaying,

There is no game if you’re the only one playing.

 

 

It’s too much,

It’s too fast.

There’s too little,

It won’t last.

It’s too big,

You’re too small.

You’re too wrong,

And that’s all.

 

How did the undercutting not work out as planned?

Why has the victory left you this unmanned?

Why did the everything go sideways to the plan?

You were the comic playing the straight man.

 

Who is inflamed with all your betraying?

That is the shame of all your preying.

Success you claim, but it’s loss you’re displaying,

There is no game if you’re the only one playing.

 

Cliff Lake 5/12/2026

Copyright © Clifford Lake 2026

Location: Wichita, KS, USA

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