A Ballad for Richard III
Written: January 26, 2026, for contest sponsored by Robert James Liguori
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Introduction
England struggled with hunger, fear, and distrust during the Black Death. The Peasants Revolt of 1381 showed a kingdom in desperate times when injustice and extortion thrived, and truth was often ignored. This poem condemns the constant instability and corruption of power that relied on greed and neglected ordinary people during Richard III reign. Integrity is the key to true success.
Poem
The primeval universe was heavy with grief.
It's valleys of famine, its lowest breath;
Yet nobles conspire in a bedlam brief,
While peasants fight courageously in stealth.
The obedient court, in colloquy vain,
Spoils corruption and dismisses pain.
Kindness was mocked, and virtue made frail,
Delusion wrapped in sycophantic gold;
Rebellious nobles, their blood-red tale,
Stakeout the halls where corruption molds.
The loud cry of the public was ignored,
Fragile hope withers, and patience abhorred.
Philosophers prate in orotund tone,
While stoic men barter for the crown;
Underlying justice is broken, left alone.
As flattering flatterers kneel in usual frown.
The river of rebellion, cheerful in its flame,
was quenched by extortion, austere in aim.
O Prince, fear the strangeness of your reign;
The clamor conceals a deep loss of trust.
Do not nurture greed or scold in vain,
So nothing is lost to rebellious lust.
Web your people not with false lies,
but with consistency, or the kingdom dies.
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