Data Set

Normally pragmatic, when

Forecasting my

Chances of success I

Diddle the analysis

Jig the numbers

Tweak the odds

In my little book are

Reams of records

Documenting just what

I can hope to do

An archive of compiled scores

Ample data here for accurate

Prevision

Instead I harbor sneaky hopes that

I might beat the house

Might deviate from

Second-class consistency

Refusing to accept that

Past is prelude

To the present

The best predictor of what happens next is

Just what happened last and

Time before and

Before that…

And that

Relentless linear projection

Squinting I can almost see the

Trend line inching

Up

Instead of level for

The longest time

With some infrequent

Spikes

Next time,

When I register my name and

Back my bag, my lunch

My blades

And set my expectations

I swear I’ll be hardheaded in my calculations

Really. Truly. Yes.