The King's Letter

Here is a poem I wrote this evening. Enjoy!

—

The King’s Letter

See you not my torn ear and tattered paw,
And prove they not my battlefield valor?
Victory over forest and fortress!

What better measure of a king than they
Who sing of him with tender cadence all?
Mark my worth in ounces by these voices.

For your king is a good king, generous,
Whose bountiful gifts swell with my love,
But contracts about the throats of my foes.

See here your king! Obey me, be of me,
Sing of me; hear of me and be moved.
Entertain me that I may accept you.

But if this note finds you bound to a man,
And if he cannot outpace my charger,
I will kill him,
And rejoice in the simplification of your choice.

February 7, 2013