A woman in Paris, or somewhere similar,
Perhaps London, in another time
Was came upon by two suitors
The latter less fair in appearance, she chose the former
In favor of his beauty
Neglecting to see the heart behind the smile
The lie hidden in the promise
To have and to hold
Truly, till death would they part
…
While the latter suitor
Whose voice was gentle and kind
His appearance humble, shrouded his true handsomeness like a cloak
Save to those who took the time to see
The beauty that lay beneath
For this man was no suitor
Indeed, he was a king
Despised and rejected by many, but nonetheless in pursuit
Of a bride
To be his own, and he be hers
But he was rejected
In favor of a liar
With fine face and empty promises
While he, the humbler man, whose promises were true
Was cast out into the street
Left forever searching
For a bride
Who would open the door to him, and hear his song
Not for his wealth, but for his heart
His character
And the beauty that lay within
But was often missed
In favor of another suitor
Who always seemed fairer but in truth
Depraved, while the king
The one fairer than the sons of men
Was left wandering the streets
While his bride was happily serenaded by
A liar with a finer face
And a vow to bind her till death
…
But the latter suitor, the king
Did not rest there
He did not take his denial as gospel, for he knew
The potency of the lies
Of the wicked man deceiving his bride
But what could he do?
She sold herself to him
And now they lay together, in bond
Till death would they part
Till death
The words rang out like a dreary bell
A funeral bell
Trolling out in the fog of night
This could not be
The latter suitor, the king
Would end this vow forever
To free his bride from the liar, death
And make her once his own
But how?
Death cannot be cheated
His vows not broken by mortal man
But the king was no mortal
He was not a subject of death
If his bride was a slave to death
Then he would pay her price
But death’s price is high
He deals only in lives
But the king had one to give
…
The latter suitor, the king
Knew what he had to do
He marched right to death’s door, and demanded
With all kingly authority
To speak with the master of the house
So death came
And spake with the king
What would have taken hours, or years for man to say
Was said in but a word
What mortals could not accomplish in an eternity, was done in a night
It was settled
The debt was paid
Death was satisfied
The sought bride was free of her vow
And the king was dead
…
Death laughed something bitter, the former suitor
Happy, fair in appearance, but wicked
A liar, content to lie and deceive
Who took pleasure in doing so
Had been given his grandest prize
The thing he long desired
The only life he could not take
Had now been given to him
For he had mortal souls aplenty
The lives of men, he had enough
But the life of the king, the immortal ruler of the cosmos
Well,
He could never dream of taking his life
Until now
When it was handed to him on a platter
And now, to his delight
The king was dead
To his happy, sure delight
The king was dead
And while all of heaven wept
Death laughed
And laughed
And laughed
The king was dead
The Mystery Pursued 