Homecoming
Half known but still unknown,
Frayed patience at false starts
The sages con their ancient charts,
Their prize the measurement and span
Of time and fortune known to man,
The tyrant and the throne.
Such unrelenting rules
For such a crucial rite
Fearing to question what the stars invite;
An extraordinary king,
Reckoning after reckoning:
Heroes or fools?
Home, dusty and shattered
Cracked chests and stoved-in casks,
Hoping to circumvent what duty asks
About that mysterious child too
Subtle for a measured view
Of whether it mattered.