It happened long ago

At the height of your power

One evening as the sun set
Offering luster to the stone halls
In a palace of no equal
Old, at the height of your power
You fell and broke your hip
Your loyal subjects away
In the midst of a war
Or prostrate in the temple
Alone on the warm stone floor
In a hall gifted by the sun
You wept like a lonely infant
Cold, delirious from pain
Where did your spirit go then?
Old king of might and glory…
Tended by concubines
You woke in a bed of feathers,
To news of victory in battle
And auguries of unending glory
But your spirit felt no joy
Awakened to a hidden god
And halls of quicksand
In a palace of no equal
Whispering secret curses
Only your ears could detect
You bade the eunuch come
Fetch the anointed sword
They lovingly disrobed you
Knelt painfully on a pillow
And by the witness of your court
You opened your bowels
Spilling into your halls
Where did your spirit go then?
Ancient king of god…
Into the aegis of suffering
For 584 generations
Before I came from my mother
Screaming your ancient cry
Gasping for the memory of air
In a palace of no equal