Caverns crumble
Around the body.
Birds squawk
To warn of trouble.
The roof is caving,
But I have no pitch.
Where will I go
Without a home?
Walls press in
To squash the weak.
Women scream
Of wretched treatment.
The enemy is coming
At the eve of morning.
Our soldiers will never
Keep the peace.
Warnings abound
From storefront preachers.
Oracles of death
Cry out the worst.
Darkness falls
To cover unspeakable
Crimes too obscene
To mention out loud.
What will be
The fate of my kingdom?
Will my family starve,
Or become beggars?
Traitors abound when
What we need most
Is a kind word
And a kinder deed.
Will men be unfaithful
To their oaths?
Will mothers be torn
From their children?
Times of war
Bring out the worst,
Though times of peace
Breed laziness.
A man who represents
His house and his ancestors,
Should fear the loss
Of his good name
Above all else.
Stumbling along the sidewalk 