CHESS GAME

Memories full of aching 

branches of a ghost tree

sometimes a dim light 

captures my eye, and 

while I walk on the way

to it the arrival has a 

brush with dark forces 

turning off visibility 

It's like being constrained by

a puppeteer controlling every 

step, monitoring every move

And you know you can't trust 

anyone 

And you know you can't blame

anyone

They say you create your destiny

We are told we are responsible

for all the faults and flaws 

success and glory

wealth and health

But how can we create our 

Destiny if the others agency

is unpredictable in this 

blindfolded 

chess game they call life. 

Clelia Albano
(from the forthcoming collection My Second Soul, 2020)