Different Game

The players are all equal as they sit around the board.
Their faces poker faces, they are of one accord.
I sit and watch them silently but would not think to play.
I know no rules, but watch a lot, it's easier that way.

Watchers watching pots to boil will wait a long, long while.
And watchers watching games like this will smile their secret smiles.
While smiling mine I chanced to see a lady at the game
And suddenly the watching stopped and I stepped into play.

My battle pieces stood like kings their armor shiny bright.
My moves were very masterful: we played into the night.
I wished the lady and myself alone upon the board.
Where we might speak outside the game and say what we played for.

But now the curiosity of this game came to light:
It made no difference how we played, no moves would come out right.
Our pieces felt like leaden weights, our feet were made of clay.
And then I finally understood, it'd always be that way.

So raising up my eyes from the board and what lay there
I tried to catch the lady's eyes, I only saw her hair.
All eyes were welded to the board, to this eternal lie.
I picked my pawn up from the board and threw it to the sky,
Just threw it in the sky.

Now the lady and the players finally looked me in the face.
But only for a moment, only for a space.
Then they turned back to the table, though the lady smiled a smile.
They sat and waited for my move, would I go the final mile?

You see, I am not a coward, and I'm surely not a saint.
But when you put the makeup on you can't scrape off the paint.
When you sit down at the table for the gamble or for love,
Don't plan to get back up again, just keep on making moves.

So I picked the piece back up, placed it squarely on the board
And wondered at the playing rules and why I never scored.
A gambit here, a false move there, a gamble every way.
I must convince myself somehow that it's worth it all to play.