Upon the marble foundation
stood kings of light and dark.
Each towered above their noble men,
each watched from their royal mark.

The queens faced off where they stood,
while the knights mounted their horses.
The bitter players sat on each side
considering their forces.

The bishops were positioned beside the rooks,
the pawns in a line up front.
Up there they would take the attacks,
up there they would take the brunt.

The pieces were arranged in perfect order
the match was about to begin.
The players shook hands, one stone faced
the other with a stretching grin.

The pawns of ivory made their move
while the ebony ones looked on.
And so it went, one piece at a time
until most of them were gone.

There the queens were protecting their kings
before one made a fatal mistake.
With a slash from a knight, the queen was brought down
and it left the king to quiver and quake.

The pieces that were left quickly moved in
and the king was pushed to his knees
His crown fell off and rolled away
to the sounds of his dying pleas.

My little game of  Chess
That I played, with you
Making subtle moves
Hinting all too softly
Allowing impasses
Offering a pawn
Renouncing knights
Denouncing  a  bishop
Even giving up my Queen
That trying game of  Chess
It appears, has come to a stale
Without one word spoken, without
An idea or intellect having being shared
My dear, I have not tried hard enough, and
I shall never be the wiser for not having made a move

Every piece is placed with precision
The same way it's been placed before
Remember the moves, repeat the rules
Eyes on the target,  ready,  set, go

You stand alone in the company of many
You stand silent while they struggle to spill their story
I seek your attention, request you to join the game
You oblige  and wander into my territory

I make my move and you accept
As always, for  information, I pry
For you are different,  just as expected
A new story,  a new answer that you reply

"Interesting" "intriguing" "fascinating"
you recite the words I have memorised
With every gesture, you  fuel my curiosity
yet I never fail to play the moves I've revised

Check;  break down the barrier to your mind
Check; earn and conquer your trust
Check; uncover the story caged in your head
Checkmate, the next move, a must

And though I've stuck to my rules
You've broken the invisible fence
You surround me just as I have done to you
You widen your grin as I try to make sense

On this field of black and white, little did I know
The pieces had merged into an ugly grey
For you had been playing by the same rules
Imitating the moves that I play

Neck to neck, you and I
As a generous gesture
You allow me to make the final move
Expecting me to conquer

All eyes me, as I reach out
I won't dare let my heart lead the way
It knows only of how to be played
Not how to play

No matter whether I win or lose,
The game, I know won't last forever
You will leave me, no matter of the outcome
So why even bother?

Yet I play not to win
Nor to lose
I play for the thrill
And the unexpected I'll choose

Your king stands alone
surrounded, helpless, vulnerable
You may think me a fool or a genius
But I plan to make this game memorable

I make my final decision
And move my queen towards her fate
Towards your king, but not quite
End of game, a stalemate