Black & White Raga

As the game begins

Queens dominate their own color squares

white and black Queens opposed on the d file

tension builds as they contend the center

then white pawns slip into position

encroach on black squares

black Queen moves to a white square but it is too late

white has taken hold of the game

our opponents

playing games of increasing complexity

weighing advantage   disadvantage

terror   lesser terror

right & wrong

unlike chess masters they cannot see far ahead

but like chess masters they delight 
                      in defining equality

qualified    of course    by who's next to move

& sometimes they move surreptitiously  like pawns

or savagely like rooks

stately like Kings

they are renowned for never exposing Queens to  early attack

guarding the center

developing strong points

minimizing weaknesses

in between two games

one hand reaching

hesitant to move

because that move

restricts subsequent choice

there is no going back

especially for pawns

when pieces encounter conflict

they can move away

pawns must stay and fight

meanwhile musicians play a cyber raga

                 DO WHILE misunderstood

                 PERFORM UNTIL, Black = White

in between two songs

one hand on a taut drum

damping percussive effects of crowd

the other on cymbals

needing silence again they play

weaving meaning

on a thousand line octave

© Dick Russell, 2016