When Bobby Fischer Goes Swimming

he puts his hands high up behind his back,
in between the bishop and the rook,
and slides his eyeballs down to d4 - a5
check mate.

He dives into the Siegen Olympiad
deep through Germany
Hungary
The Philippines
Japan
takes a quick breath at Sweden
finishes at Iceland -
mostly breaststroke,
sometimes butterfly.

He revokes his passport
spits on his mother
(right in the retina)
breathes radio station fumes
coughs up the American Dream
all dull brittle black and white
like charcoal
or 64 stages
of lies.

He cracks his lip
as lethal as a queen
drunk on
cheap Russian champagne
mourning the death of her

When Bobby Fischer Goes Swimming

favorite knight
he swallows too much water
bites too many fjords
hurts too many souls -

he dies too many times
without knowing how to
for sure.