Snakes and Ladders

It is like a game.
For some people it probably is a game.
You are a counter on a board.
The dice is thrown - a six to start, and off you go,
on the unavoidable, odd and even,
black and red numbered squares:
there is no other way to breathe.
The white dots are imperative. Do as they tell you;
up a ladder, down a snake.
...