The Other Side of a Royal Coin

Modern poetry modern verse contemporary poetry contemporary verse modern poem contemporary poem

An emperor is one distortion, one

Monstrosity like babies born with fists

Where heads should be.  An emperor is son

Of high deformities, genetic cysts.

Congenital anomaly is what

An emperor is worshiped for being.

Society curtseys, scrapes.  A mutt

Were better; emperor’s clothes not worth seeing.

A mutt might be a better king of kings.

He’d still want petting, adoration, bows,

But then he wouldn’t need gemmed signet ring,

No anthems needed, only bow wow wows.

  But being normal has its problems, too,

    If you are married to a monstrous shrew.

~ Phillip Whidden