Chequered Life Poem by PRAVEEN KUMAR English

I’m different, life is different,
Life is the chess I play in the world,
Life is moves in complicated labyrinth,
Built to the chess-board I inherited;
I have my pieces in my side,
I have game rules to move each piece,
What square I choose, when, how I move,
What rank or file I occupy or leap,
Whom I checkmate, how, why stalemate
Decide life, open further moves
And square by square lead to last move –
The construct I raised by own work,
The niche I carved by my moves
On chequered field laid as playground,
Where I did play my own game,
And threaded strategies for safe moves
With I, in shadow, holding hand,
But never have I become the game itself;
I’m indeed is bedrock, its base,
Whereon is built structure of my life,
But, I’m different, life is different.

Each life is a game on chess board,
Each playing against all others combined;
Some get black pieces, some others, white,
But colours seld make any difference;
While moves are right, castling does help,
But sudden traps, a constant threat;
Skill to steer thro’, and other’s moves
Decide denouement of the end result
With labyrinth inherited holding true key.