Check, Mate!

Nothing's static, so we run

To find ourselves where we've begun

Like Lewis Carroll's bold Red Queen*;

These clever chess moves can't be seen.

We often move across life's board

With rooks and castles on the sward

Or risk a sudden sideways slant

Hellbent to meet our goal, but can't ...

As pawns we must beware attack

Proceed with caution, watch our back;

With crafty players on the board

A dodgy move we can't afford.

Is life a game, or is all planned?

Will we roam unscathed or damned?

Our inner Queen won't hesitate

To protect her hapless mate.

But rashness often pays the price

Our shining Knight makes us think twice!

We diligently play the board

But only God knows how we've scored!

(c) Poet in the woods 2020

 * In Lewis Carroll's fantasy novel "Alice through the Looking Glass" (1871).

Note for the curious: The history of chess goes back almost 1500 years. The game originated in northern India in the 6th century AD and spread to Persia. When the Arabs conquered Persia, chess was taken up by the Muslim world and subsequently, through the Moorish conquest of Spain, spread to Southern Europe.