a lesson from a penny arcade

Aeons ago (forgive me if I have told this story before) I was at Walt Disney World with some friends and I walked into an old fashioned penny arcade, with all sorts of turn of the century (19th to 20th) authentic games and amusements.

I encountered one called, as I recall, "Saint George and the Dragon" which had simple instructions to insert the penny and grab the handles. So I did. Almost immediately an electric shock began to pass through me, intensifying as the figure of Saint George, lance raised, moved across the diorama in front of me, towards the figure of dragon.

I was startled, but resolute. I had, after all, dropped a penny in...I was going to see this through.

penny arcade

life is a penny arcade
where you drop your dirty copper moments
trace moments
into the slot of chance
and seize the handles,
waiting for the raw shock
that challenges your will
and tests your desire to win
nothing more than bragging rights

then you
step right up
to the next machine
the metaphor
with more neon
and a sign that reads
"Try Your Luck
Two Cents"
and grab the handles


William F. DeVault. all rights reserved.

When the brave knight contacted the dragon, the bell rang and the shocks ceased. I had won the day. And there was a sense of satisfaction.

Life has those penny arcade moments, where you make an investment in something that you are uncertain both of the challenge before you and the outcome. Pride and persistence may see you through, but always within some sane limitations on the risk to yourself and to others.

Sometimes people will unburden their heart, and that's all it is, an earnest attempt to connect. Other times, they are trying to warn you that the shocks to come may be unpleasant and not worth a penny. Let the guy with his hands on the handles make that decision.