Celebrating Pathos Found
– © 2006 Bobby Schauerhamer

The King said, “I am bored!”

So as to keep their heads,

His chief council gathered and invented

A war for his amusement.

The Archbishop approached the throne and

Told the King that there were many serfs

Who were for want and suffering.

The King flattened the jabot of his shirt with his hand

So that he could look down upon the Archbishop

And exclaimed that acts of God and the elements

Should be allowed to diminish their numbers,

And thus, the burden on the Kingdom.

The King sat back in his throne and

Twirled a golden chalice encrusted with

Many uncut precious stones. He took a

Large drink of a deep red wine, not knowing

That it was from the last cask in the cellar;

The servants not daring to tell him that

His supply was nearly exhausted.

A messenger arrived and was announced

To the King. There was news of ill being spoken

Of His reign in the countryside.

The King summoned

Many mercenaries to disperse throughout the

kingdom

And listen surreptitiously for a source of this

maliciousness.

All this while, the jester was busily juggling balls.

He moved back and forth in front of the King

In a futile attempt to entertain him. The King,

Finally taking some notice, asked the jester,

“Of all these great things

That you have witnessed here,

What will story tellers and scribes

say of My divine glory in this reign?”

The Queen who had remained silent for a time

Dethroned and walked briskly into a hall with

Many doors, but no egress. She muttered to

Her attendant who was in hasty pursuit,

“We need a new fool.”

Her attendant questioned, “The jester?”

The Queen replied, “No, the one with whom

I share a bed.”

The jester paused, stopped his juggling for a moment,

and said, “None of these things will be remembered

As they do not distinguish you from either your past

Or your future. Instead, it will be known that

during this time:

Even though we are but five,

We keep twenty five,

And the best of the best is now

Touching the souls of the worst of the worst,

Who did not know that they had one.”

to Janine and her capacity to see even the faintest glow within the darkest void