Chess
A Love Poem
Hear Mary-Jane read this poem
‘Peel it all away,’ I said to the pawn
who made this move and that,
‘To get to me,’ I added.
Sheepishly, I looked down onto
the white square that bore my feet.
It was those fantasies of
an aristocratic life that turned me
naked. A laughing stock.
‘And by the way, I love you.’
A roosting bird fell from its pole.
You moved to black. You drew from
your limbs an ace of hearts;
cornered my queen.
A sigh. Was it yours? Or mine?
Uncertain, I falter. The verb
‘To give’ is forbidden in this game,
that isn’t really a game. We know
that much. ‘I apologize,’ I said,
and mean it. But I dare you;
juxtapose a sickness after love!
My shame fades my desire.
The last move dawns.