Dreamt the Penguins were about to claim
the Stanley Cup, leading four to nothing
against the New Jersey Devils,
which wouldn’t be a possible matchup
for the finals, both teams in the same conference.
The logic of dreams bends reality
to meet the mind’s current needs.
Also, I had gold balls, a satchel full of them
that I hid somewhere in the arena.
A man shadowed me, wanting my treasure.
I never saw his face. Would he harm me?
Do me in? String me up & torture me
until I pointed him toward the loot?
I didn’t care. I was on the side of the winners,
at least at the second intermission.
Ace Boggess is author of eight books of poetry, most recently Tell Us How to Live (Fernwood Press, 2025), and the short-story collection Always One Mistake (Running Wild Press, 2026). His writing has appeared in Indiana Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, Hanging Loose, and other journals. An ex-con, he lives in Charleston, West Virginia, where he writes, watches Criterion films, and tries to stay out of trouble.
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