The Game

I can't see what to do
because there are different colours
and I cannot seem to get my brain
to conceive of them going together.

When I run out of ideas
the machine gives me hints,
but you have to be wary
of following the machine's suggestions
because the machine lies. It's not trustworthy.

The machine has no intuition
and can't seem to strategise or plan ahead.
It has no ability to sacrifice
an available move this time
to get a better chance next turn.

But sometimes the hints unlock
possibilities I hadn't seen
and progress the game much farther
than I would have unaided.

Using the machine's ideas
means that I can relax
because the outcome
isn't my responsibility any more.

The machine likes mixing the colours.
It only senses numbers, is unaware of colours.
It doesn't care that once you put
a black on a red the line is stopped -
can't move any more until you find
a logical numerical sequence to unlock it.

Sometimes the games have doorways,
boxes, or different pathways to choose -
options, options, too many.

I always want to know
what the other options were.
Did I make the right choice?
How would thimngs have ended
if I'd moved the black queen
instead of the queen of hearts?

There's never a five when you need one.
I have everything down to six on one line,
and everything up to four in red,
but no five ...
I have five in black.

I deal again
and despite the fact
that there are three red decks
and three black, there are no cards
that follow consecutively.

What are the odds of that?
If I were any good at maths
I could work it out.