I bet he walks two steps behind his queen.
Self-effacing little king,
he holds the sceptre of his power
and majesty behind his back -
not to be seen.
Bashful little thing!
He stands upon The Daily Rag,
the news of common man, consumer man,
but hasn't opened it.
Such outward things dwell not in his desires,
his mind is on some astral plane.
His ermine trim is faux, of course;
he's greener than the bees.
He sings from angel hymn sheets -
but when they sing, he leaves.
His morning coffee has been served.
He's turned his back on it,
prefers the nectar of the gods -
and walks two steps in front of them,
insisting on his right. But here, his queen
of six feet seven, blocks out all his light.
My thanks to Magpie Tales for the image/prompt.
24 comments:
He is very sweet -I do hope he doesn't let his wife bully him.
"His ermine trim is faux,..." starts a powerful stanza reminding me of some old Bob Dylan's echoes in it.
Behind every good king... :) Terrific take on the prompt!
Six feet seven, my goodness. Poor King. :)
I loved it, Dave. A fun and original take on the picture!
Wacko... I say that with deference and respect ... wacko!
Awww, give him a break, he's at least 280 lbs, if not more. He walks behind because he CAN'T KEEP UP! Always a way with the words, enjoyed it. Like the image very much also.
He reminds me of poirrot..is that how you spell it? always thinking with the leetle grey cells! Brilliant.
I like the irony,,, the 'nectar of the gods'...
What will all the Willow Manor Ball goings-on ... this was SO worth the wait! Two steps indeed!
Your talented whimsey hints at deeper truths, David!
Aloha from Waikiki;
Comfort Spiral
> < } } ( ° >
Must be a legendary amazon queen of the jungle to be that tall :-).
He is a pompous little fellow, isn't he?
Loved that! Fabulous image too.
Dave, this poem is just plain good--I love the verbal play, the rhyme, the structure of it--and the turn at the end. The ironic repetition works really well. I particularly admire the ermine trim stanza. You've done this magpie proud, I'd say.
Clever Dave, the way you weave such disparate and seemingly random images as presented in this picture into an extraordinary narrative.
For a minute there I read the words little king and thought you'd be telling us more about your childhood fantasies as a little King, given your second name.
Gosh Dave! The Queen is somewhat intimidating. I hope he'll survive in one piece. Great poem!
Hank
Like the King in the cartoon Alice and Wonderland? I really enjoyed the playfulness of this one.
Excellent Dave and I liked the subtle humour!! You have done absolute justice to the image prompt!!
The Weaver of Grass
That's got to be a worry, I'm thinking!
Tommaso
Bob Dylan... well spotted: I never would have connected the two.
Tumblewords
Absolutely! Couldn't agree more!
Daydeamertoo
Well I was thinking... maybe he likes it that way? Welcome to my blog. Thanks for visiting.
Mary
Thanks a lot Mary. Glad you like it.
Jeanette
And many thanks for saying it! Just the job!
ArtistUnplugged
Do you know, I think you might have a point there! Of course, he's overweight, and his wife has got to be slim. But wait a mo', he stays ahead of the gods!
Gerry
I'm not sure about the spelling, but it's a great comparison. I like it.
Christine
Indeed, only the best for the king.
Helen
Thanks much appreciate the comment.
Cloudia
Ah, you spotted, thanks for that.
Windsmoke
Could well be, could well be...
Jeanne
Well... maybe... a tad... but he's nice with it! Welcome to you, an thanks for the visit and the comment.
Titus
Ta! Welcome comment.
Kathryn Stripling Byer
Hi, welcome, it's good to have you visiting - and thank you so much for your very generous comments. They are very much appreciated.
Elisabeth
I did wonder if that might happen - if it might have put some off reading it.
kaykuala
Well, he's managed to survive so far. I think he likes it that way!
Hannah
Thanks Hannah, yes I suppose he is like that.
Nanka
A warm welcome to you, and my thanks for your kind remarks.
Aww!he is a good king...What a write!
Been here after quite a long time!Blog looks great Dave :)
Bitter sweet
Whimsical- poor little powerless king.
I loved this, and the ending is wonderful! :o)
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