The game

I was playing cards with God and He

trumped my king with a pair.

‘But Lord, according to the rules,

you can’t do that.’ I waved

my fan of cards.

‘Then come up 

with some explanation,’ He replied.

And dealt another hand.

Translated by Tom Phillips

The original Bulgarian text was published in: ‘The Garden of Expectations and the Opposite Door’ (2012), Colibri Publishers, Sofia, Bulgaria.