Uninteresting blocks o’ stone molded to artistic pawns,
Royal knights maneuvering handsomely on the board,
Sturdy rooks marching straight with determined ease,
Hunchbacked bishops gliding through diagonal streets, the Haughty queen parading all quarters of the board, the Resolute king taking one step at a time,
Minuscule pawns killed in initial encounters,
Infinite permutations changing the match, furrowed brows shine with sweat, automatic clocks tick each player’s moves,
Mistakes, Misfortunes, Calamities all; the indoor auditorium filled to capacity, the crowd as one takes bated breaths, remaining glued to their places.
The Battle on the fated board grows tense, the day divested of passing hours, tapered fingers eventually slamming the winning piece down.
Chorused smiles reflected on thousands seated, as if let in on an oh-so-mysterious secret; the winner proudly shakes hands for the title won, flinging the trophy high, high toward the kingdom of the creator.
Clenching his teeth in exuberance, as if to Announce his place in the World of chess,
Crowning him as the reigning 'WORLD CHAMPION'
Sathya Singh
Dr. Hurwitz
11/15/12
English
At the beginning of this assignment. the initial dilemma presented itself in the form of inspiration and the lack thereof. Understanding the need for a simple yet sensory object to base my poem on led me to write about something that I thoroughly understand. Since I have been playing chess for most of my life, it felt natural to call upon my experience once again. Now, the pawns of chess are considered to be the least important pieces; to me they are the very foundation of most tactics.This led me to recall my time at chess tournaments and the vendors that sold fancy chess sets. As I started to write this poem, I felt the best way to introduce this game, and to portray the pawn as something beautiful rather than weak, was to compare the unadulterated piece of rock to its beautiful,