brittle bones (KKB-20)

the king looked upon

the knight

with olive eyes

lids heavy

when we age

we grow brittle

our patience

like our bones

the slow river

of youth narrows

into roiling rapids

before the waterfall

of mortality

and we want

what we want

and we want it

when we want it

and truth

is just an idea

about as useful

as this empty cup

which is my way

of saying

I appreciate

the lies you offered

and saw them

not as artifice

for you had

nothing to gain

duty done

coin rendered

but instead

as the gift

of a heart

that knows the difference

between what matters

and what doesn't

my lord

quiet!

now, gifts aside

tell me what happened

and spare me the sentiment

lest it crack these brittle bones

and force me

my dear knight

to crack

yours