Winning!

If I couldn’t win, I refused to play... ~ Overeaters Anonymous, Second Edition

"Card shark" my uncle called me
near the floor heating vent
of my grandparents' home
about the time he brought me
a toy banjo from Minnesota to Texas.
"I'm glad you won
because you don't lose well,"
Mother said when I telephoned
with election results.
I can know another Toastmaster
spoke better than I, but rue
not getting the nod of the votes.
I can do it myself! My refrain
for decades, heartfelt, proved false.
In running my life
I place a distant second
since I learned to let go
and reap the rewards.