The Bishop's Train

It's a slow game today on the chessboard
and those taken are all, they confess, bored.
So the bishop suggests,
"Will you, please, be my guests?"
"Yes, oh, yes!" They are soon feeling less bored.

Says the bishop, "I hope it won't rain,"
as they head for his home. "I'll explain:
my hobby," he tells them
in a voice that impels them
to hurry, "is simply - my train!"

At his palace, outside at the back,
is a circle of railway track.
On miniature rail
an engine can't fail
to make everyone chuckle and quack.

"May I, please, work the signal?" one pawn
asks, excitedly crossing the lawn.
"You may all have a go,"
says the bishop, "I know
we'll be playing from dusk until dawn."*

*
The bishop (tsk! tsk!) means from dawn until dusk,
but excitement confuses the brain.
Suffice it to say, they all have a great day
as they play with his beautiful train.

poem © Celia Warren 2012

If you've missed previous adventures of the chessmen, you can catch up with the most recent one here.

A number of people have asked me if I plan to produce a book of my chessmen's adventures ... well, I'm seriously thinking about it. If I do so, you'll probably hear about it on my website-cum-blog, whose address is on my 'about' page here. Still investigating ways and means at the moment ...