They Came One Day by Eric Feldstein
They came one day,
Shouted out loud:
“We are here to proclaim to you,
Your new king.”
We gathered in the local square,
Jake, Lisa, Akimo, my friends
Lin, Brooks, Sarah, my family
To hear what they were to say,
“Your old king is gone”
White teeth gleaming,
Arms open wide,
“Recognize your new king”
We stood silently
Heads swayed in the breeze
This man who stood before us
Eyes above our heads
“He is your new king,”
hands up higher,
“He is your true king,”
eyes back to us
We stood silently
Heads swayed in the breeze
Jake got up and walked away
They embraced as brothers and walked away
I am just a simple farmer
What care I for kings
This is the land I know
My king was my own
They came one day,
Shouted out loud:
“We are here to proclaim to you,
Your new king.”
We gathered in the local square,
Lisa, Akimo, my friends
Lin, Brooks, Sarah, my family
To hear what they were to say,
“Your old king is gone”
Jake’s teeth gleaming,
Arms open wide,
“Recognize your new king”
We stood silently
Heads swayed in the breeze
These men who stood before us
Eyes above our heads
“He is your true king,”
arms raised higher
“He will reward you greatly”
Eyes back to us
We stood silently
Heads swayed in the breeze
Lisa and Brooks got up and walked away
They embraced as brothers and sisters and walked away
I am just a simple farmer
What care I for kings
This is the land I know
My king was my own
They came one day,
Shouted out loud:
“We are here to bring the rest of you
into our kings good graces”
We gathered in the local square,
Akimo my friend
Lin and Sarah, my family
To hear what they were to say,
“We said he was true”
Now they were four,
“We said he would reward you”
Now we were four
We stood silently
“Now, he will punish you”
heads swayed in the breeze
“if you do not recognize him”
Akimo, my friend
Lin, my son,
Got up and walked away
They embraced as brothers and sisters and walked away
I am just a simple farmer
What care I for kings
This is the land I know
My king was my own
They came one day,
Shouted out loud:
“We said you would be punished
For not recognizing our king”
We gathered in the local square,
Me and Sarah
They, now 6, approached us
To tell us what they had to say
They took my wife
They threw her to the ground
They lit a torch aflame
and pressed it to her gown
I stood restrained
Head forced toward my wife
These men who stood above her
We watched her burn to cinder
“He is the king,” the fire danced in their eyes
“one day you will answer to him”
And they walked away
And they took her cinder, and walked away
I am just a simple farmer
What care I for kings
This is the land I know
My king was my own
They came one day,
Shouted out loud:
“We have shown you punishment
Do you accept your new king!”
I gathered in the local square,
Just me,
All six surround me
To tell me what they are to say
Crazed, they yelled,
“Don’t you see, Don’t you see”
“He is your king, look at us and look at you”
There were six of them and one of me
I stood silently
Head swayed in the breeze
These men who stood around me
Eyes upon my head
They came at me all at once,
Did not relent till an hour passed
Beaten and crippled I fell down
Now we walked away to meet our king
They bound my head
They bound my limbs
The journey was so long
They walked about so merrily in song
I thought of my friends
I thought of my family
I thought of my village
Thought of the life they pillaged
But suddenly, a cloth torn off
My site was now restored
Below me was the ground going by
In front of me a golden castle in the sky
Door’s thrown open
We walk in
Brightness blinds me
The clamor deafens me
They throw me to the floor
I lay for some time
Then a warmly voice
Sings a simple verse
“Look at me, my subject”
“Do you not now see?”
“Hear my voice connect”
“unto your ears, once so absentee”
I look up, first blinded
By light so bright
But soon it fades
To see this man who has me in chains
His eyes were soft
His mouth in a smile
His powerful figure
In a throne of gold, configured
I start to speak
But he holds up his finger
“It’s too late now,” says he
“It’s too the rack with thee”
“They said I was your true king”
“They said I would reward you”
“They said on you punishments I would sling”
“And yet it was never me you choosed”
“Now it is done”
“Its over, we are through”
“I am sorry my son”
“But its to the gallows with you”
They pushed me against a wall
Tied a noose around my neck
I begged that now I saw my king
Around a pole, my rope, they sling
They strung me up high
My legs start to kick
I claw against the rope around my neck
I struggle to take my last breath
But every breath was my last
As I realized so suddenly
This wasn’t meant to kill me
But to torture me so lovingly
And now, as I glance around me
There are others here too
My compatriots at the gallows
And my hosts out of the shadows
Among my new friends I saw in particular
Her face beautiful, her voice serene
I saw her burn once, no twice
My wife was now paying the price
They took my wife
They threw her to the ground
They lit a torch aflame
and pressed it to her gown
It was to repeat, I found
Over and over
For the rest of my days
Watching my wife as she burned ablaze
It wasn’t just her,
It was all of us now
As we looked on longingly
To this feast in front of us appallingly
In front of us
Right there indeed
Was a feast of splendor unseen
It was a feast obscene
Golden plates, golden goblets
Silver forks, silver spoons
overflowing chalices, clinking glasses
Stomping feat, and clapping masses
Serenading songs,
Harps and strings aplenty
Merriment and laughter
Energy faster and faster
At the front was this king
Eyes warm, mouth a-smiling
He beamed at his subjects
Thus as we were subject
I saw Jake, and Lisa
Akimo too
I saw my kids Lin and Brooks
They were laughing with the cooks
I called out to them
Me, as a choked for eternity
Maybe they couldn’t hear me?
It seemed they ignored me
And then, it dawned on me
Finally at last,
On this I would swear
That they just really didn’t care
I suppose I deserve this,
Of course how can I not?
I ignored the king’s summons
For eternity, I deserve to rot
My friends and family got their wish
They get to eat and drink in splendor
Over me and my own they have chosen their bliss
As they make my future my body ripped apart in a blender
I am just a simple farmer
What care I for kings
This is the land I know
My king was my own