Prince Charles

Prince Charles 

I have read my name on a British novel written by John Doe a few times. 
It begins with a crude remark which gives reference to an old friend from Dublin, then on the forth page it reads, like a catechumen phrase: "to be or not to be, that's private." 
But this is not a fine way to pronounce a prince, 
and again, what is private? Is it the whereabouts 
of a jewel or the truth about my father's will which was 
written by a gardener or the untitled notes of an eunuch who was 
dethroned by a Queen?  
If you study carefully you will notice a sentence that resembles 
a Shakespeare quote as expressed on the third paragraph of the writer's 
epilogue-- stating how unreliable my judgment can be with regards to a lady's 
need. He has made a mockery of my name and we-- my father and I, Mr. Wilchoff, the writer's son, my niece, and my unrelated cousins from downtown Alabama do not fancy it.  
The epilogue had been read as a preamble speech by the Queen's guard before the novel was parceled to my study. It reads with such clarity and boldness-- "Prince Charles." 
It sounded weird, yet familiar. It's familiarity was that of the ending of a moral tale, 
a doggerel-- like the struggle of a colored man on an Irish farm or an actor who never got an award for his stunts. I heard the sound in many different voices from the past like a dethroned queen in the Victorian age, and from the future like a critic whose intention is to corrupt my integrity... 

She took a glance at me as my fingers fidgets carefully 
stating how remarkable the speech and novel was, and 
how it mattered to her womanhood. 
I was startled at the way she pronounced each word, 
how she flaunted her blonde hairs backwards and blinked 
her brown eyes as my stupidity unveils.  
"You have done a vain thing," I whispered. 
I smiled at every opportunity I entertained,  
winking my fallen brows and making a grin behind 
the wrinkles on my white face. She cheered, and said 
to me in absolute sincerity as if she had known no sin:
 "to be or not to be, isn't private."

Copyright © Victor Ehikioya-Brown | Year Posted 2016

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