a fine prince

[motherhubbard]

Pious, so convincing
to those who wish to see it.
They praise you as a Godly man.
In angry voices they demand -
Support him
Pray for him
Obey his commands.

You are a fine Prince.

Rule with fear.
The masses tread lightly,
looking over their shoulders,
glancing from side to side.
Fear of foreigners.
Fear of government.
Fear of each other.

You are a fine Prince.

Crafty fox, fierce lion.
Watch for the wolves.
History knows your strength.
Your honesty suits you,
your deception is calculated.
It is better to be feared than loved -
people will follow.

You are a fine Prince.

You seek more power.
but you do it to help us.
We want the good life you promise,
so we sacrifice -
Peace, happiness exchanged
Safety, security sought
In the end, both are lost

You are a fine Prince.

[Pendragon]

Hummm. The stanzas seem to counter the stated repeated line: You are a fine Prince, almost as if the point is to show that the statement is a mantra to falsehood. I like it.

[PrinceMyshkin]

I wonder how many will recognize that the "Prince " of whom you speak is not Macchiavelli but a more contemporary, Macchiavellian figure!

The original Prince argued
that a self-sufficient prince
is one who can meet any enemy
on the battlefield. His descendants,
however, find enemies
everywhere and make of any field,
no matter how green, a battlefiield!

[motherhubbard]

thank you Jerry. Would you have known if I hadn't told?

[motherhubbard]

also, tahnk you pen. I love the clapping hands and the kind words

[PrinceMyshkin]

thank you Jerry. Would you have known if I hadn't told?

Not quite sure, really, but knowing what fire-breathing hell-raising rebel you are, I might have guessed.

Reminded me a little of a couple of lines I hoped to make into a poem:

How do you school yourself
to die in a foreign war?

[motherhubbard]

what a question Jerry, You should work on that poem.

[Granny5]

Not quite sure, really, but knowing what fire-breathing hell-raising rebel you are, I might have guessed.

Reminded me a little of a couple of lines I hoped to make into a poem:

How do you school yourself
to die in a foreign war?

Another good question would be:
How do you school yourself
to send others to die in a foreign war?

mother, you've made me pretty darn proud. Good job!