Tonight's Poet Corner: Long Live The King

Long Live The King
by Belinda Roddie

You tickle the underbelly of
the beast that's dreaming of caramel
and sugar, the images all of different colors,
but all still painted in something sticky
and serene. Once the laughter finally subsides,
you see the prince emerge sluggishly
from the rotting hide, and as each tuft of fur
disintegrates, you are left with the sullen monarch
before the revolution. Guillotine, guillotine,

where is your lullaby now? What syllables
do you have to comfort us with before
our minds are separated from our flesh? How
many songs can we sing before the anthem
becomes sterile and obsolete? We float
above it all, the screaming crowds who wave
severed fingers piked on pitchforks. You tickle
the underbelly of the beast, and the caramel
turns to powder, the sugar petrified before
it reaches eager and hungry mouths.