Snookered

Silence prevailed as he chalked cue tip

Advanced and retreated three times

Before it caressed the ivory white sphere.

It set it in motion over the green baize surface,

Gently kissing one of the cherry red orbs,

Slightly disrupting the cluster of fifteen,

And bounced off two of the cushions

Before rolling back to where it once came.

 

The room came alive as the cue master  

Sat giving his opponent his turn at the ivory ball.

The room applauded as the cue master plotted

His next strike. He stuck once, potting a red ball into a

Corner pocket. He struck a second time

He implanted a black ball into the opposite pocket.

He did that fourteen more times

Before sewing the yellow, green, brown,

Blue and pink balls respectively, into each

Of the different six pockets, one by one.

 

He needed to embed the final black ball

Into the bottom right hand corner pocket.

The crowd fell silent as the umpire

Polished the ivory white sphere.

He set up his shot, his pulse slowing

With every breath, the audience

Audibly held their breath as he struck

The cue ball. The crowd went wild

Before he realized he’d done it!

He was the first in the championship

To score the maximum of 147 points,

Earring himself a bonus and setting himself

Up to be the bookies favourite to win

The competition.

 

He celebrated with his hands in the air

And punched his fist high.

 

Later that night, reflecting on his performance,

He decided to gift the money to the

Special babies unit in his home county

Where his daughter had spent the first

Six weeks of her life. He was pipped to the post

For winner in the final, his daughter watching

Her dad proudly from the green room.

 

 

image from pixabay