You make me feel so stupid
When we play chess
The way you en passant all nonchalant
You chase me into castle
From there I watch you intently
The way the Russians watched Bobby Fischer
In his hotel room
But while I wait for a move to develop
I become the Boredest Spazsky
My mind in a stalemate
As I try to crush your Sicilian defenses
As much as I harangue
You leave me in zugzwang
Which confuses my feeble mind
For I may be a pawn
But I'm the king pawn
Which means the board usually revolves around me
But your queen takes that instantly
And I'm left in a fool's checkmate

I wish you could see things from my side of the board
You'd see how desperately I wanted the king
All the complex and unique obstacles in the way
But instead you just sit there
And laugh at me losing all my pieces trying to reach you

The chess champion
Fell in love with his pawn.
The master of games,
Couldn't leave her alone.

He spun her around,
While she had no clue.
She was simply a person
That he liked to use.

But somehow she slipped
Through all of his schemes.
Blew through his defenses,
He thought he could win.

Alas, the lowly pawn
Over his heart had reign.
So he reached out
And pulled her out of his games.

She was no longer used,
He altered her fate.
She became his queen,
That was it, checkmate.

Finally, she was out
And far from harm's way.
He loved her so much,
He taught her how to play.

She sat right by his side
And learned all his moves.
In her he would confide
How to never lose.

And for some time,
They battled other players.
They became a pair
Of little chess slayers.

But then the girl grew better
And walked across the board.
She became the enemy;
She became a chess lord.

And our chess champion
Knew not what to do.
He had taught her everything,
He wondered if she could lose.

"Silly boy." She spoke,
Laughter in her eyes.
"I was never just a pawn,
I was simply your demise."

"You think you can play?
Watch me yawn through this game.
I have sat by your side
For defeating you was my aim.

I thank you for saving me,
For teaching me how to play.
But I think  I'll enjoy this.
A chess champion I must slay."

So the chess champion was beat
And another took his throne.
Perhaps he should've left
That lowly pawn alone.

Kawasaki revving on a long 5 *******
screaming pipe, watching from behind
a beautiful carousel of red and blue
flashing between my eyes

All along these tired roads
between the wandering streams cutting daily into the sediment
eroding the trust of those ancient riverbanks
exposing the bodies laid to dust

Those great crackling xylophones
marimba of memory and curdled blood
Screaming now, cracking between the gunshots
like bones
Souls forever past it

No forgiveness, no chance
No indictment on a ruddy road

I fall off my bike, skid a mile or two
feel the deep earth grind my skin,
tempting me with heat and a sweet goodbye
a challenge I'll never win

I skid past the officer in a ditch,
hole in his head and a clipboard ripped in two
Poor man, back with the sediment
wrapped in a carpet of beige and mud
all we've ever done

I'm not sure what I'd have said
As I slid past on my way to death
where the Appalachia slammed into Africa
saying we were all in this together
once before
as dinosaurs

So how are we any different then?

Bunch of stardust
and Sediment
Acting like winners
and consumed by lust
for dust and rocks
a part of us
Leading back our dark descent

Kawasaki flips and implodes in a ball of combustibles
behind me the sky explodes into red
and fire of passion deep in our star
of hearts, I know we'll all be the same then
empty of body, devoid of toys
stripped of lies, those knowledgeable clothes
and return to perfect Eden
where dirt and earth are us,
and dust we discriminate
obliterate into the neverend

Look! maudlin sky smiles,
Sun puts stupor behind, live;
Light wins the chess game!

Did you know our lives resemble Chess?
that in  all decisions
right from the start
you need to think ahead
about the choices being made
about who it is going to affect
because it ain't just you
choosing to sacrifice what you want to do
to help others...
or not
willing to change plans at the last minute
because of a
cancellation
a death
not everything goes our way
sometimes we need to make
small moves
simple
sometimes we need to switch it up a bit
ride the horse
take a breather
I mean time isn't really on our side
you see each second that passes by
is then one minute
one move
one choice
closer to death
sometimes
when you think you have won
you find yourself stalling
going back and forth going anyway you can
till you just have to face your moves
head on
and let go
to bad we only have
one chance to live
so make all your moves count
for you never know when your
last
breath
will
be

if i had my way,
it would all match up,
but so many variables
are in play,

and i wish
instead of having a
chess match,

we'd just throw
the king and queens,
pawns and knights,
-- rooks too---,
off the board.