Chess in the afternoon glare,
each square a kingdom.
Sunlight leans over the board
like an irritated instructor.
A broken speaker coughs Coltrane
into couch cushions
and shag carpet.
My back aches
from time
and miles.
She sits across from me,
staining her fingers
with blackberries,
dark as confession.
She licks her thumb.
Doesn’t look up.
Rook slides right.
Knight whinnies
and retires to the side.
On the news,
France falls again.
Italy folds.
Her pink polka-dot dress
climbs higher
as she leans forward.
Strategy disappears.
The pawns trot forward,
small bodies
built for sacrifice.
The queen waits—
quiet,
thick with violence,
bloody intention.
From under the dirt,
Charlie Parker blows
through coffin wood
and tree roots,
amber notes pounding
into bone,
into memory.
The room smells of fruit
and sweat,
dust hanging
in the light.
She looks at me,
smiles that predatory grin,
and says, Check.
The floorboards hum
a long bebop sadness.
They are playing
jazz in hell.
We wait.
-
Author:
Thomas W Case (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: February 22nd, 2026 08:49
- Comment from author about the poem: Tonight I recorded a live reading from four of my books poems about work, winter, memory, and the quiet endurance that shapes a life. If youd like to hear these pieces in my own voice, the full reading is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?vdY2euFFCXLI My books are available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Thomas-W.-Case/author/B0CL2RKDGX?refap
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 34
- Users favorite of this poem: sorenbarrett, Friendship, Tristan Robert Lange
Offline)
Comments9
Damn this is so good .. makes me fell like hanging up my pen ... again .. Neville
Thank you, kind sir.
All of your poems are good Thomas but this is one of the best. It oozes overripe juice fermented it draws flies that buzz on a hot afternoon. The odor and buzz are intoxicating and I am taken to the place. So much lost living in this poem Thomas. No need to say it is a fave
Thank you.
It is my pleasure Thomas
Good write T.
Thanks
Well written.
I appreciate it.
Very descriptive. Reminds me of the Chess game in the Thomas Crown Affair. But this : more bite. Enjoyed.
Thank you.
How is it you create such complexity in so few words?
life, lots of booze and bad women, sobriety, survival...lol. Thanks. Dave.
Yes - sounds about right to me....................!
Thomas, what grips me most is the layering. Coltrane coughing through the room, Parker rising from under the dirt, pawns marching toward sacrifice…then that simple “Check.” It’s sensual, tense, and slightly damned. “They are playing / jazz in hell.” That line doesn’t explain itself…it just sits there, heavy. Powerful poem, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️
Thank you, my friend.
Most welcome, Thomas!
this is so down to earth one can visualize it happening....
keep them coming...
I appreciate it.
you are welcome
Desire vs Strategy well done brother
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