The King of Certain Subjects

Cherry

By Ewan

Sun, 07 May 2023
  • 827 reads
7 comments
 

AUDIO HERE

The revellers, any-excuse-rs, the loyal to the royal,

the obsessive collectors of coins, tea towels and mugs:

Adulators Assemble!

    

    Come all ye faithful,

       to see the crowning

         of the King of Certain Subjects.

 

The nominal head of so many states

will know his geography,

his science may tend toward the natural

but that is the best of him, is it not?

In the Windsor Academy he has long

been the Head of Religious Studies.

For it is not The Firm, nor even a firm,

but a school, the Old School tie-d

to our nation with golden chains of office.

 

And all the circumstantial pomp

is no more than smoke and mirrors.

A temporary magician's cabinet

cannot make a sixth-aged man a King,

no matter what scents and censers

swing in any kind of church,

before an audience of certain subjects,

sure of their place and his.

Revelling in this servile certainty,

a nation tugs its forelock.

 

 

Certificate PG
Poem
Kings Of Myth and Illusion
Miscellaneous

Comments

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

smoke, mirrors and some very odd headgear!

 

Submitted by Ed Crane on

strikes me as one of the most subtle and successful forms of brain washing on the planet. Even if you don't live there anymore, once subjected to it one is never quite free of it. 

The thing is, it would not be anywhere near as successful without the monarchy. Generally it seems to me even if one is opposed to royalty most would feel exposed if it ceased to exist. I saw this thinking in Australia during the last vote for a republic. (better the devil you know, Mate!) 

 

Submitted by luigi_pagano on

Nice, witty and punchy poem. As a citizen of a country whose president is even older than your monarch, I concur with the saying Better the devil you know

Cheers, Luigi

 

Submitted by littleditty on

 

 

Submitted by Ewan on

got your message about a "captcha" moment... Do you have another device you can use?

Author Page at the 'Zon
 

Submitted by David Kirtley on

I appreciated the blunt or realistic angle of your poem. I like the way you said it, even though I don't feel too negative about the monarchy right now.

Submitted by Nolan on

Makes one think of the Isrealites wanting a king and against better judgement, and they got Saul. The English are known for getting carried away with sentiment tears etc. Nothing wrong with that.

Nolan &