The Needing Voices

In Daluun, a land up north

A land I once called home,

I was given chance to take my place,

And ascend unto a throne.

The kingdom had been growing,

Increasing more in size,

The people there though full of joy,

Had need for more watchful eyes.

More shepherds to the sheep herd,

More stewards for the flocks,

More keepers and custodians,

More watchful eyes like hawks.

This message came within a note,

From Daluun my childhood home,

Yet one condition puzzled me:

I must come to Daluun alone.

The lords and ladies beckoned for my help

And made no harsh demands

Save to leave my new built kingdom,

That was forged by my own hands.

What’s to be done, what does this mean?

I asked my wise advisor

And he replied quite firm yet soft

Like a whispered lions roar:

“I found you in a prison cell

And now you sit among the brave.

And though your fight is now for right

You question who to save?

With a sword you vanquished

And now with a sword you guard.

Though now you hesitate to fill a need

When those around you struggle just as hard.

From once afflicted, sickly man

To now a noble king

If you cease to heed the needing voices

You are not anything.”

When I started I was but a boy,

A foolish, brash, young louse

Yet now I’ve increased into a man

I’ve established my own house.

I’ve brought forth orchards, fields, and farms,

Raised children, ended war,

But most of all I’ve found a friend

A steadfast companion I adore.

Must I leave my new found home,

And the ones I’ve come to love?

What kind of homecoming will this be

Without the treasures in my trove?

Then my wise advisor

Again reproves with haste

Reminding me of what I know is true

And the challenges that I must face:

“If one man stays king forever,

Then what about his son?

Should he remain a prince eternally,

No, not if he’s done all to become.

And daughters fair,

Should they not care,

If through their thriving efforts

they bring no queenly fruit to bear?”

I feel the sting of truth

Pierce deep into my soul

My head and heart now comprehend

My understanding full.

Though it pains me to leave them

Though I wish they could come along,

Yet I’ll leave with them just one last thing,

And teach them through my song:

Drunk I was inside a prison cell

Now I drink among the brave.

And though I turned my fight from wrong to right

Without service I’m still a knave.

With a sword I vanquished

And now with a sword I guard.

Though I struggle up a shifting stream

Those beside me may struggle just as hard.

I was a troubled man

I’m now a noble king

But if I’ve heeded not the needing voices

I was not anything