Irises with Ladybug

Spades are for digging and spreading the soil
Preparing good earth, what lies below is our toil
Time to dig deep, plan growth for the future
Seeking pattern and beauty you will nurture

All through the winter short days grow longer
Underground, our mind, promise, grows stronger
Your subconscious provides answers you sought
Opportunities solutions for which you have fought

Ace:    Like a bulb that lies hidden, forgotten in the frozen ground
It will spring forth to greet you, create what you’ve found

Lesson: As solitaire may seem mindless, like the forgotten bulb, it may lead to growth.

Deuce: So terribly small that you’re unsure if you’ve seen it
These two, shoots, small spots, may lead you to win it

Lesson: What appears insignificant may prove critical, the equal of aces or kings.

Three: Camping in winter, fierce wind blowing, pegs staking your tent
Anchoring against the storm so you don’t wonder where it went

Lesson: Small details can offer support and stability, which is critical

Four:   Fours are two by two, and may share space with their brothers
Or lie hidden, no matter how or where you look, you find others

Lesson: Too much or too little of anything you need may thwart your effort.

Five:    Like the bulb below ground which you finally remembered
Don’t relax and decide that its growth will lead to splendor

Lesson: Just because you don’t see or understand what appears, don’t assume it’s all right.

Six:     Sometimes a six is as far as you go, no matter how hard you try
No ambition or plan can reverse this, find lessons, no need to cry

Lesson: Don’t become frustrated by failing and give up. This is how you learn. Begin again.

Seven: No matter what happens, you will survive win or lose
Victory or defeat comes from determination, yours to choose

Lesson: It is always your choice. You can founder or thrive; it’s all up to you.

Eight: When the game is flowing smoothly and you are making great strides
What you need though it is hidden below ground, my be very much alive

Lesson: Your hard work shows rewards, but suddenly stops. Delve deeper, something’s missing.

Nine:   Nines at the top of the critical numbers, that with zero make the rest
Yet it feels like you’v seen it before, many times, with reason, the best

Lesson: Wisdom often sounds like you’ve already heard. It’s repeated until you learn it.

Ten:     Ten combines the 1 and the zero, that bracket everything you need
Sometimes this is not enough and your goal seems to recede

Lesson: The end of the game is not the end of the world. Build on what you learn, start again.

Jack:    This fellow’s deep thoughts and actions should be in the papers
Though his journey is incomplete, he sings, dances and capers

Lesson: Often unsure what leads to success, happily facing each day relieves our stress.

Queen: Like dating and courting you sometimes feel you should act, but your mind says no
Sometimes the heart understands things the intellect will never, ever know

Lesson: Trust your instincts, even if it means doing something which frightens you.

King:   The king, last at the top and the first down below, looks lost
Maybe a play you haven’t seen exists, quit to soon at your cost

Lesson: You see no way to move on, but you must look again. Familiarity may blind you.

Remember, the play no matter how easy or difficult, smooth or rough
Solitaire, like any life, can test and try us, it can seem brutal and tough
Flowing smoothly, it may be filled with danger, with tribulations fraught
And always and always, it’s not whether you win, but how well you fought.

I’m here to remind you, though it may sound quite lame
That no matter what happens, cards or life, it’s all only a game.  ~ The Joker