rook

black-white
black-white
my chest was
the chess board
& you knew which 
squares you belonged on--
what is your strategy then?
do you trust in
the pawns? 
their short
hair & daggers tucker
into their heads--
see metal-- step slowly--
they are prone to breaking
twigs & dying 
with out breath--
or do you move the knights--
you always 
were a sideways
boy--
what use is the ground
when you're a made of
armor-- no skin
underneath--
trust our subjects 
to swallow
our blood from
each square-- 
what other statues would
you trust with your
own heart beat?
there something about
playing chess that makes
you smaller-- 
the size
of a square cut out of
my own chest-- cannon 
shot-- hoof pounding on
tile--
what a quiet quiet
war we're in--
what a loud way
to trade blood--
there's something
about chess that 
snaps the arms
off the time-- ties
the sun to a cloud--
eyes open-- 
step here-- i want
to know how you 
will navigate 
each square of my
body-- what do you
know about chess anyway?
what do you know
about the rook?
there's no where left
to go but to climb--
these thick & sturdy 
walls-- these stones
arm in arm--
a boy like me-- 
there is no
door to the inside
of the castle--
war turns 
inside out-- hollow--
the world-- nothing
but a wrist-- 
an ankle-- an arrow
breaking
the glass of my bedroom
window--
that's why 
i trust the rooks
of this world-- 
the tower
the marquess-- the rector--
how many boys like
us have sat down 
& made their
love//blood 
black-white
white-black 
i always pick the black pieces
because i don't mind
waiting to
see what you do first--
i have a tendency 
to thrust love onto
the chess board 
jump over
me-- sword-bitten
queens--
oh haven't you always
been a bishop though?
our only union
is one
of our deaths--
this is what
it's like to be gods--
two rows 
of bodies-- dead 
pawns--body on body
on body--
they were just another
fortress 
& from inside the rook
i move forever
in a striaght
line-- a clear
marked direction-- 
squares beneath me
black-white-black--
& when the chess board
ends-- change direction--
you'll never find me 
here-- the only
doorway is my mouth--
checkmate--
yes checkmate-- 
there will be king
after king after king
but long after 
he is dead-- his castle
remains-- coasting 
quietly 
in a singular deadly line--
marked across my chest--
& i'll be inside--
the god waiting 
in his castle-- 
a wrist-- an ankle--
& you the side-ward 
knight will be gone
too-- knocked off
your feet & ghost
hooves on tile--
what do you know
about the rook?
pawns sauntering 
back to the front
line-- crawl-- slide
back to my corners--
this time 
you start-- watch 
out for me-- 
watch out for me
the castle 
has no door--
kiss me