The Chinese Casino

The food had never been
All that plentiful
On the Araner,
And we were tired
Of canned goods anyway
So we were ready
For a meal.
One of the only
Real restaurants in Pago Pago
Was a Chinese place
Which we commandeered
For the occasion.
There were seven of us
Former crew members
Collected around
A big circular table
With a Lazy Susan
In the center.
The food tasted incredibly good
After two and a half months
Of sea rations.
After the table had been cleared
We decided to turn the place
Into a casino.
We used our chop sticks
As convenient table dividers
And the Lazy Susan
As the wheel of fortune.
We each laid money
On our section,
And wherever the wheel stopped
Was the winner
Collecting from all the others.
The locals had apparently
Never thought of such a practical use
For the spinning table
Or observed such merry frolic
And there must have been
Fifty of them
Gathered around watching.
I wouldn’t be surprised
If that place isn’t
Still a casino to this day!