The More I Lose, The More I Lose by Julio M. Valentin

I once lost a quarter to stupidity
 
I was wagering a night of peaceful sleep
When I placed it in my mouth
Hiding it
Afraid that the tooth fairy
                Would mistake it for a refund
 
But my brothers, locked in the heat of battle (Stone Cold versus The Rock)
                Slammed against my bed
                                Knocked me out of the bed
--The ring where all dreams fight for the number one spot of being true--
 
Down
                I
                                Went
                And into
shock
as my back hit the linoleum mat
 
Jammed

I squeezed my neck with both hands
                A heimlich cartoon and
                                Ran to my creators
                With promises of being a better son
In exchange for another chance at life

But my parents shooed me away with a flying chancleta as they continued to watch novella
 
Fading away with an everlasting gobstopper
In my throat
                I mouthed the head waters of the bathtub and
Baptized myself under copper-colored project agua
 
That night
I sort of passed my quarter
With tears lubricating my throat
 
I went to sleep to a man on the TV whispering
I lost everything of worth,
                                I’ve never felt worse or better
​