Bard Billot on Caesar Ben
Gore and Peace
The Young Caesar, Ben, claimed victory in battle
And returned to Gore covered in glory.
Those were the days when Men were as Gods!
But when Ben arrived the temples and bazaars of Gore
were empty, and the wind moaned through the cobwebs.
“Where are my countrymen and subjects?,” he demanded
Of High Chancellor Parrius the Wise.
“They failed to meet key performance outcomes,” replied Parrius.
“All of them?”
“That information is classified under nine thousand pages
of Non Disclosure Agreements,” advised Parrius.
Caesar Ben gathered his forces in the north eastern reaches
of the Copper Kettle tearooms.
He sat with his allies: three cheese rolls,
fifteen packets of sugar, and four paper napkins.
Across the expanse of carpet huddled the rebellious Senators,
in the gloom cast by the long shadow of Parrius.
Caesar Ben inhaled the wholesome aroma
of his three cheese rolls and stirred an extra packet
of sugar into his tea: for these were extraordinary times.
Caesar Ben heard a ping and checked his Council approved smartphone.
Lo, the Senators demandeth his abdication!
Caesar Ben glared back at their distant table and tapped furiously in reply.
The Senators read his missive, then sucked on their hot tea in rage.
In the kitchen, the cook ordered in nine dozen cheese rolls,
For this looked like the beginning of a very long civil war.
Victor Billot has previously felt moved to write Odes for such luminaries as King Charles III, Tova O'Brien, Christopher Luxon, and Mike Hosking.
