Because

Because

They will find you
at your weakest
when your head is filled
with sorrow
and your body wracked
with pain.
They’ll beat you,
belittle you
and leave you for dead;

because they can.

Leave no cracks
in the firmament,
no chinks in the armor.
They will steal in through
a loophole,
step in from
a long ambiguity,
worm their way into
a back door,
like a Trojan Horse left
as an incongruous gift.
They’ve programmed it this way

because they can.

Lay your feet
on solid ground,
right leg in front
to steady your mind.
Load rocks
in your soft gloves
(Beat them at their own game)
Take the Queen’s pawn
and countergambit,
they’ll be looking
for the King,
and will never notice.

Checkmate comes easy,
for they haven’t the sense
to think far ahead.
Then,
when their armies
lay scattered on the boards,
finish it,
end it,
for all time,
in one place
because you can.