there once was a king
small and moody
he built a tower high in the center of the castle
with a maze of walls to surround it he sat
in his tower, overlooking his defenses, for years
and in his writing which he showed no one he whispered, 'within my heart i've sat holding myself, my walls crumbling over time. between waves of attacks that i order forward, there's moments of quiet. it makes me angry. it makes me desperate. the cage i've built has broken so much that i could walk out if i wanted to. what is holding me back? i've sat here holding myself, holding myself.'
the silly king knew
but he didn't understand why
he cried to the stars 'oh please! someone walk through the maze, admire the effort it took to create. reach the tower, to see the ruins, and say 'that's enough. you're coming with me'. take me by the hand, to leave it behind, to hold me as i recover from the pain of fresh vulnerability.'
and he wept
