once there was a cruel heartless king
he thought he had everything
master of his land
commander of that realm
he believed he was loved
he thought he was renowned
his majesty wore a golden crown
but one unforgiving day
his kingly head held high
looking out his castle tower window
a small bird landed on the stone window sill
with a swift royal hand
the king lifted his gem studded scepter
and swiftly killed
that small helpless bird
its lifeless body
fell to the foreboding ground
no longer would that small bird sing
or fly free in the hapless sky
but the king merely laughed
no reason why
except the king thought himself better
than anything or any other guy
then a single rat
found the king asleep
crawling under the king's velvet hat
rat bit his ear
rat scratched his kingsome face
the rat left rat tracks
all over the king's coveted place
when the king awoke
he felt those bloody marks
in his kingly rage
the king ranted and he raved
shouting cursed remarks
from a dark corner
rat stayed perfectly still
biding its time
in that rich palace dormer
as night fell again
the king laid on his plush bed to sleep
when the king was snoring
rat carefully approached
climbed up from that dark corner
rat climbed into that cushy bed
quietly scurrying
onto the king's bushy head
as the musky king slept
that rat began to speak
into the king's rusty ear
rat bravely peeped
telling the rascally king
as a king
he was nothing at all
his golden crown would turn to lead
his glorious kingdom would fall
then the furtive rat crept away
down to the cold conclusive ground
there the rat found his dead feathered friend
that poor little bird
in the misty morning
the fussy king rose
he scratched at his mussy head
he felt blood trickling down
his wicked nose
as the morning grew old
the king's ministers came to say
rumour had this very day
remarks about an enemy's army
drawing near
all that they told him
sounded like a fairy tale
nothing was very clear
as the paunchy king ate his lunch
a staunch sound filled the air
from the mounded hills
where that foundering echoed
an army of rats raced
through the king's fields and meadows
the rats ate all the seeds
they chewed through the king's grain
when they were done
nothing looked the same
onward that army of rats went
storming into the palace
scrambling through every open vent
they ate all the bread
they shat on the meat
those rats took revenge
chewing on the king's stinking feet
the king cried in pain
as his soldiers and ministers took flight
but the rats kept attacking
all the fine food and the riches
ravaging everything in the king's palace
they found in plain sight
even the imported porcelain and the gold dishes
by mid-afternoon the place was a mess
the king tore at his hair
he screamed with his rage
as his queen prayed and confessed
that tiny precious bird
the one killed by the king
was obviously a messenger from God
but it had come just to sing
in horror the queen and king climbed
to the top of the stone tower
that army of rats followed
as the king and queen cowered
by that airy window
where senseless murders had occurred
the king and his queen
tore off their jewels
their sable cloaks and ermine fur
attempting to shoo
all the squealing rats away
but the ready rats kept coming
chewing on the king's and queen's legs
in horror that reckless wicked pair
climbed onto the stone sill
helplessly trying to escape
the rats who they just could not kill
finally their cries were so panicked and shrill
their faces filled with awful fear
the king tossed down his queen
midst the relentless swarm of rats
the king took off his golden crown
throwing it down with his final gasps
while the rats devoured the queen
her ivory skin covered in blood
then the rats climbed the wall
in their gruesome brutal flood
they bit and scratched at the king
biting him hard
making him bleed
making him wail
nipping at his skin
through every piece of his garb
as the local peasants looked on
from down in the square
the king took a dive
falling squarely to earth
where he landed
bruised and bleeding but alive
then the angry peasants rushed over
they stripped the king of his clothes
they dragged the king down into the town
where they hoisted him high
stringing him up
by his hook nose
as the army of rats
looked down from the palace
the peasants disemboweled their king
they killed him with malice
with no grain in the fields
all the peasants packed up their carts
leaving the king
dangling in several blood soaked parts
then the army of rats
came down from the tower
they found the dead bird
who had sung sweetly for them
the rats carried that little feathered body
away to the hills
and there all the rats
mourning together
they sang their rat hymns
for their sweet martyr friend
in time that cursed realm
that now tumbledown palace
every thing that fumbling king coveted
had forever crumbled
and that was the end

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