I Once Knew A Man Poem by Gert Strydom

I once knew a man
who was a master
at his art.

The secrets that he knew
set him apart and enkindled brilliance
was the mark.

Discipline and dignity
inspired curiosity
and he was a great man to me.

A very clever man,
who played chess just as a hobby
and for the fun he got from the game.

Grand masters fell
under the spell
of the moves that he made.

He taught me to play
and I studied the moves
of Bobby Fisher
to try and conquer him.

Till one day
that his mind slipped away
and no chest set
would ever get
his attention again.

To this very day
when I play the game
it’s not the same
and I curse Alzheimer’s,
that more than
humbled him.