Wednesday's Verse - King Ruford's Peace

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This week’s verse moves from an eerie speculative piece about a dangerous journey home to a fantasy poem about ending a war. It is taken from 366 Days of Poetry, a collection of mixed-genre poetry released in 2016.

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King Ruford's Peace


Alternatives were few and far between,

But we tried,

Course we tried.

Decided there was nothing in between,

Ending or capitulating to our foes unseen,

Finally deciding what our fate would be,

Going forward with the plan.

How could we explain that we,

Instead would fight to our last man?

Just when all seemed bleak and lost,

King Ruford came through skies storm-tossed

Landing lightly a-dragon-back,

Meeting our leaders to suggest a different tack.

No-one had fought as long as he, so

Of course, he was the one to make us see that there were other

Possibilities.

Quite few, but there.

Rarely still King Ruford came,

Seeking to find the final game,

To end this war once and for all,

Until we all knew peace once more.

Very determined did he seem,

While planning the execution of our dreams,

Xenophobes had no place, he said.

You’ll need tolerance, or the war will continue, instead.

Zealots from both sides lost he, until he brought us victory.



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You can find the first two poetry collections at the links below - although there are plans to reissue them with more genre-appropriate covers in the future. The third collection will be released later in the year.


Location: Canberra ACT 2601, Australia

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