Chess

[dillingworth]

She had me in fool's mate
the day we began.
In afternoon light,
the black and the white
fell flat on the floor
and spelt out her mind
in small ciphers.

Step by small step,
with long looking and thinking,
she captured.

As I thought over tea
and an afternoon snack,
she did for us both with her plan of attack.

[camus]

Good analogy.

That said I think "fool's mate" falls foul, what does it mean?

You could have kept the "Check mate" sticking to the analogy, and making more sense.

As usual just an opinion, good read.

[dillingworth]

fool's mate is the quickest way of forcing somebody into checkmate - hence its inclusion, i wanted to convey that sense of helpless defeat.

glad you enjoyed this one, it's actually quite old, one of the few poems from when i started writing that is worth reading.

[camus]

Ahhhhhhhh,

Apologies, never heard the phrase before. Works well then.

cheers
Kris

[Arcadian]

D,

I liked this too - interplay of chess moves and the gambits of love

aside, she seems like a charming woman and maybe its good you worked out her game plan - clever fellow to have mastered reading a womans mind- lol

enjoyable piece

cheers
Arco

[Macavity]

fool's mate is the quickest way of forcing somebody into checkmate

...only a beginner could fall for 'fool's mate'

cheers

mac

[seeksthebalance]

Hey,

I like this a lot. A simple blending of two different strategic situations but well worked. The occasional rhymes lend to the feel nicely especially in the final two lines.

cheers for posting it.

Seeks

[k-j]

That's Sassoon, right? The last line? One of them "war poets", anyway.

I used to play in chess tournaments, until I met her chest ornaments.

[pseud]

Chess is a metaphor for so many things. Gotta love it.

and spelt out her mind
in small ciphers

"spelt" could be spelled, I would think. But a great line.

- Caleb

[dillingworth]

kj, the last line is indeed sassoon, from "the general" i think.

"‘He’s a cheery old card,’ grunted Harry to Jack
As they slogged up to Arras with rifle and pack.
But he did for them both by his plan of attack."