Lady Jane Grey's Last Day
Here I am facing my death at age sixteen.
Each moment of my life has been a foreboding scene.
I never had desire to be this nation’s queen.
Devoid of love and care from my mother,
it seems I could not trust her or any other.
Merely a pawn in the game of my father-in-law’s ambitions,
I was inadvertently swept into these political transitions.
King Edward was tricked into naming me next in line.
To be ruler of this nation was not of my design.
The crown is something I should never truly own.
My second cousin Mary is rightful heir to the throne.
With Mary’s rule, a new era in England had begun.
To be a part of rebellion was never my intention.
Here in the middle of this winter season,
my husband and I have been found guilty of treason.
I witnessed my husband Guilford’s decapitated body.
Pulled in a cart past my cell, it was plain to see.
Frightening was the thought the next to die should be me.
However, I shall approach the block with grace and dignity.
Let my plight be known throughout the course of history.
May they realize I was undeserving of my destiny.
Lady Jane Grey, a cousin of England's King Edward VI, was queen of England for
only nine days from July 10-19, 1553. She was convicted of high treason. She and
her husband, Lord Guilford Dudley, were executed in the Tower of London on
February 12, 1554. I thank wikipedia.org online encyclopedia for valuable
information I obtained to write this poem.
Copyright © Robert Pettit | Year Posted 2011
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