Game of Life
If life was like a chess board, it would be easier, wouldn't it, with straightforward choices, black or white, to be made? You can only move this way or that...
Before me, the black and white squares of life,
Of which I'm part, a piece made for the game.
Slipped from woman, experience's knife
Carved me, shavings shed as my piece was shaped.
Life is not simple as this board presents.
Not black or white, this, that - more "choose, choose, choose".
Where the shades of grey where the truth does rest?
Not here: a set-up set up, made to lose.
But this game can be won with strategy;
With wile and cunning and slyness and guile,
And strength to shove pawns to ignominy,
As "lead" players watch them fall, with a smile.
But my conscience I will not place in your hand
To be a Master you consider "Grand".
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Day 4 of Quitting
If this is how sobriety feels, maybe it’s better to go through life a little buzzed… this, along with other hits like, I want to kill myself, I wish I was dead, and I’m going to throw myself off a bridge have been the only thoughts on rotation these past few days. I promise myself that if, in a month, I still feel like this (‘this’ meaning despondent, full of rage, and simultaneously numb) I can go back to smoking. Until mid-February though? Nicotine is off the table.
By sleepy drafts6 days ago in Longevity
Comments (14)
“The simplicity and rawness — wow. This is the kind of writing that stays with you.”
Clever sonnet… I love Chess but am pathetic at it!🥹
I love how you draw the mind to the nature of choice, the complexity of it.
Oh, Rachel! Deliciously told.
The poem elegantly balances intellect and emotion. Beneath the formal structure lies a strong undercurrent of rebellion against life’s rigid systems.
Chess is such a great metaphor for so many things, and I like your use of it as the dominant image in your sonnet. "Slipped from woman, experience's knife Carved me, shavings shed as my piece was shaped." This bit I really liked- super evocative👏
I love sonnets,,,just discovering how lovely they can be. This is so great.
The saying 'chose or lose' comes to mind. Sometimes we wait too long and miss the chance to make the 'move' we wanted. I like the comparison here. Well done!
"set-up set up" Now that was brilliant! Loved your poem!
Well done! I especially love the last two lines.
Very well done! “Where the shares of grey” line felt particularly Shakespearean
Love the line "a set-up set up." Really great poem.
I always tell my students that life and especially relationships are not a game. You have to be authentic and sincere with humans you love, which should be everyone. Great poem, Rachel!
Well-wrought! Maybe life doesn't start until we rise from the table. I can say for my part that I've never cared for the idea of life as a game or a school. "Don't hate the player, hate the game" is a saying in this part of the world, used to excuse the pain caused by ill-made choices. Yet there are no games without players.