The Lunatic King
took umbrage to every venial critic,
collecting the heads
of his pundits
on spikes.
When he died of food poisoning
(the food was fine, the poison wasn’t)
the kingdom celebrated.
They had been running out of room for heads.
The only tears shed were those of his son,
The Pious Prince.
They were not for his father
but because he knew
his benevolent reign
over the creatures of the woods
had come to an end.
To his chagrin,
he had to abdicate his wreath of leaves
for his father’s egregious golden crown.
