**In Chess and War**

If you're puzzled by your foe's last play,
In the chess game's silent fray,
It may well signal the third act's start,
And soon, they'll checkmate you, pulling apart.

So too in the theater of nations at war,
When one, passive, ignores the lore,
Till military forces cross the line,
Revealing maneuvers once benign.

When a neighbor wields a tyrant's might,
And shows aggression, poised for the fight,
A passive stance, though meant to appease,
Won't shield your city from the siege's freeze.

— Noel Nolan, 12/02/2024

#poetry