I opened with the pawn,
timid, two steps into silence.
The night was long,
and the board vast—
eight by eight,
but endless in thought.
She mirrored me,
as opponents do—
each move a question,
each silence a trap.
I lost a knight to rush.
She danced too early.
The bishop—cornered,
saw too much
but spoke too little.
I stayed back, not because I was wise but
because I was scared
The queen moved late,
but when she did—
oh, she burned the board
in every direction.
There were sacrifices,
some noble, some necessary,
some…
just mistakes I couldn't take back.