Cue Tips

Friday night pool.

I go
to play
eight ball
on Friday night
and it is a delight
to cue that ball left
and right, or hit it low
to see if I can draw it back
as if I were stringing a yo-yo.
But it doesn't always work that
way because the English has its say.
It helps to chalk the tip but you don't
need all that much, just enough to make
the surface of the ball and tip create touch,
not the kind of touch that slips away, but one
that is firm and says I'm so glad you came today.
Spin has so much to do with it, but at my level I am
just happy to pocket the balls in the appropriate holes
and maybe now and then attain my desired strategic goals.
Making three or four shots in a row is called a run and that is
fun like the playful cats but it doesn't make you Minnesota Fats.
And, when you begin any new game, this shape is always the same.