Love is a game we play.
It ought to come with a board, in an oblong box,
LOVE: A GAME FOR ALL AGES emblazoned across the cover
Amid bright red hearts
And pudgy cherubs with wings.
Inside we’d find a pair of dice and playing pieces in bold colors.
I could be green or red and you could be blue, or purple.
And the rules would be clearly printed inside the cover.
We would sit across from one another,
The board between us, our tokens resting securely on the flat surface
Smooth and shiny and vibrant, designed to delight the senses.
We would take turns, casting the dice
Playing with a mixture of apprehension and joy
As each of us completes a move.
Weighing, calculating, the rules close by for a quick consultation,
We would play the game.
Would it be an intellectually stimulating game like CLUE,
With three secret cards in the black envelope in the middle of the board?
Would we slowly and strategically reveal the cards we hold
Until one of us solves the mystery?
Or would it hold the ruthless potential of MONOPOLY,
Each of us trying to outdo the another,
Acquiring more, demanding payment, until one of us is bankrupt and broken?
Maybe it would be more like TRIVIAL PURSUIT,
Each of us choosing categories that allow us to shine,
Avoiding those that revealed our weaknesses and limitations.
Maybe it’s more like CHESS, the game of kings,
Where one player must not only out think the other
But also demonstrate patience, willing to sacrifice something now
In order to win three moves later, anticipating each move,
As antagonists do, avoiding costly unforeseen mistakes.
Maybe LOVE is more like SORRY!
We each choose a card and advance,
Hoping to bring all the pieces safely home.
We may be sent back four spaces or returned to start before the game ends,
But sometimes we land on Slide, effortlessly moving closer to home.
In all, the result is the same: someone wins and someone loses.
And despite whatever the rules, the possibility exists
That one of us will refuse to play,
Will upset the board, scattering tiles and playing pieces,
Wiping out the game’s progress, declaring we are done,
Stalking away without explanation.
POETRY FESTIVAL. Submit to site for FREE. Submit for actor performance. Submit poem to be made into film. 