The Chessmen Abroad

Their board is being refurbished:
it's plain as black and white,
it's going to be a while before
the chessmen's next good fight.

Quite soon they're growing restless;
it is so long since they battled,
they're fidgety and miserable
and, frankly, pretty rattled.

"Let's go off on holiday,"
the small pawns all implore.
So, soon, it's all decided
and they set off on a tour.

They visit Snakes and Ladders,
and enjoy the slides and climbs;
then the Halma board - that's lovely,
though it's dizzying at times.

"These bright colours do my head in!"
one knight says (not too rude though);
he says it in a whisper
not to hurt the folks of Ludo.

The rook takes lots of photographs
of each exciting sight.
"These foreign boards," he says, "are fun,
but I do miss black and white."

The chessmen, when they're back at home,
find everything complete.
The decorating's finished and
their chessboard's smellng sweet.

"How homesick I've been feeling! -
It's not holidays I hate,"
the queen confesses quietly,
back on her own estate,
"but oh, the joys of hearing those
familiar words: Check Mate!"

poem © Celia Warren 2012

This is the latest in a series of adventures of my chessmen. Catch up with previous adventures here:

The Chessmen's Holiday

Chessmen in the Garden

Fool's Mate

Wedding on the Chessboard

Secret Moves

Chessmen at the Zoo

Gone Fishing

The Artist

Two Bishops in Bed

RIP (TNT)

A Drive in the Country

Singing in the Shower?

A Dalek on the Chessboard

Carol Singers

The Pawns' Football Match

The Bishop's Nightmare.

Letting Off Steam  

and

Chessmen at the Seaside.

(I made the snakes and ladders board one Christmas when my children were small - a long time ago!)