The Kings Son by Kate DemereeAs he stood upon the hill, his cloak all soaked in red, He wondered to himself, what else he could have said. He stood alone and silent, surrounded by his power, To have won this battle, was to be his finest hour. He bent his head so slowly, and dropped upon his knee, He shields himself in sorrow, and wonders how this could be.
And now all of his power, his riches, and his gold, They could not console him, or keep him from the cold. For lying there upon the rocks strewn at his feet, Crumpled, and broken
with a face that was cupid sweet, Was the body of a child, one that he held dear, One that he had thought to save from his fathers fear.
All the time he gloried, and fought with sword in hand
Every step he took every grant of his demand, Only led him onward to bigger and better ends, Late at night as he shared a cup with his fighting friends. The child had been there, looking out of loving eyes, The child who had given themselves, to save him from that demise.
As he reached out with a shaking blood stained hand, He tried to think why hed thought his goals had been so grand. What now was there left
what was he fighting for, Why hadnt he used words, instead of going to war? For although words could hurt you and cut you to the bone They didnt leave your loved ones bereft and all alone
That is unless the words you use are a battle cry
A call from king to serf to send their sons to die. A cry that is echoed within the kings own son
One that says I will not stop until they know Ive won. Hed refused what they had offered
it was the middle ground, He wanted them on bended knee like the day that hed been crowned.
They only wanted compromise, a way for all to live, Never knowing compromise was what he could not give. It is all or nothing; I will not go half way, All will bow before me err pass another day. If only hed accepted the offer they had sent His son would not lie broken, his very life force spent
A King would not be kneeling as a humble supplicant.
The humbled King, upon the hill holds his broken son, Desperately wanting to believe, that glory he has won It had seemed so simple when theyd made the plan, How was it theyd forgotten that he was just a man? Hed wanted to unite them this had been the dream, And now they stood united, against him it would seem.
The King had led the battle a smile upon his face, Charging to the high ground like it was a race. The child he so cherished riding at his side, Gazing at his fathers face his eyes so filled with pride. We will beat them sire, we will crest the hill Deep within his heart he heard his sons words still
Keep up your shield and mind your back
The King had sternly shouted back. It had only been a moment as he glanced away, In that fatal instant he was made to pay. All of his arrogance, each of his demands, Everything he fought for lies broken in his hands.
They had offered loyalty, and agreed to share their land From the base of the hill, to the salt seastrand. For the hill was holy ground
set-aside for god, And upon these paths no infidels should trod. They would not bow before him, nor go on bended knee, They only bowed before their God, the one he could not see.
His eyes refuse to focus as he gazes on his son In his mind he questions What is this I have done? The child had taken the arrow that was meant for him, The King could only watch, as his childs eyes grew dim. In anger and frustration, feeling useless and alone Knowing deep within his heart, he never can atone.
His anguished voice bestirs the night, crying out to god He slams a fist upon the ground and rips away the sod They tell me this is your ground, perhaps its where you live They tell me they can see you, they say that you forgive Show me then your power, give me back my son. Ill then tell the world, the great things you have done.
In anguished desperation he glares into the sky, In his mind a single word, the all-important Why?
05/16/2003 Posted on 05/16/2003 Copyright © 2025 Kate Demeree
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