/And then 2021 contest winner under poetry/
The coast is clear
and the sky is tinted
with orange hues
but I still feel
the remnants of the storm
inside of me.
The crown rests upon my little head
too big, such that it envelops my identity
but I must rejoice in this victory.
The pyre of my father roars at the sky
fuming smoke crashing against the bulky clouds
inviting rain.
I had dreamed since the day I gave up dolls
to be independent, outside the shade of my father
and revolting against his every move
made me the Queen I am today.
But the audacity dries out
in its place I see the horrifying face of Death
cracked, blackened and dreadful
like parched Kemet's sands.
How much had greed conquered me?
sewing treachery into flaxen robes of royal blood
I had stitched into Time the murder of my father
for he was a tyrannical ruler, rotting with age
and I the hope of the vast Kingdom.
They named me their saviour, as they had named
my father decades back
for murdering the monarch is a tradition we uphold
to keep away ambition from brewing sorrows.
But as I sit with my legs crossed
on this throne so heavy and intricate
I see my own death in his face.
One day I shall be in his place
from the Messiah to a fallen Queen be my trail
my sons and daughters shall celebrate my death
as I do my father's today.
It's what makes me crippled and weak
to know that I might be witnessing my future
that this crown shall one day crush all my sanity
making me the same beast that I see burning today.
****
This is a poem that I wrote for the And Then 2021 contest under WattpadAnthologies
Word count: 280 (including the 24 words of the prompt)
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Words And Secrets
PoetryWords spill out secrets And the more I speak, the more I regret Yet, my lips remain parted until I utter a new word And so it goes on, this story of telling tales!❣
