Emperor

Emperor Happy news came from royal imperial agents of his majesty Printed on provincial paper of the day The emperor will visit the village within the week For the golden chrysanthemum event To bless the cattle and the rice and eat a couple figs Bad news came back the next day from palace guards The emperor has other engagements to the north But promises to return and keep his word Sadder news came on the following day from imperial officials The emperor would be going even further north And hundreds of miles to the west, deep into borderlands He will return when all wars come to an end Our humble villagers can only wait No one has ever seen the emperor to date Not even his guards or family are sure if he is there One of the palace guards assured us of the facts While walking in the royal court He is sure he saw the Imperial shadow clear as day It is the emperor’s true shadow for certain Being held there by the radiant sun No one ever questioned this event It would be bad luck Though the dark spot on the wall evaporated in a fleeting second Yet deemed official business by the royal court As something to remember or forget, you have your choice Villagers learned real soon, worse news, from rumor mongers Stories started to fly, by those who specialize in lies Perhaps the Emperor expired, fighting in the hills up north or west This information disturbed, confused, perplexed Yet the simple country folk did not care about these matters The truth for them is this No one has ever seen the man Perhaps his shadow knows But it moved on Another Emperor will spring up some time In someone’s mind Royalty is just another toy To fill the void In subjects imagination