royal purple linens
striped like a clown
big-top spectacle
lofty and salacious

small-minded mongers
clad in soiled shirts
file through the banners
of elevated dirty laundry
erect and fully on air

a sovereign for a rag

headlines holler

her grace is rude
his highness base

ante up one Georgie-Porgie more
Randy Andy gets a full exposé

Give a Cryptic Bit ...

Meg's violaceous bloomers
revealed on twitter
for your titillations
examination and decree

but I ask
why the display
dispute and public spat ...

while you devour up the juicy bits
tabloid and tablet makers
gobble up industry and real-estate

the new feudal barons
do not wear crown or tiara
halo or oak leaves

they hold no sword or spear
constitution or divine right

but lord over you handedly they do
with fear, newsprint, and algorithms

15

What of ancient masters …
Few are remembered

Appearances change
Personalities change
One era’s virtue
Is another’s sin

The internal foe knows
to mimic virtue
It knows to mask sin

Remain fluid
receptive, and patient

Do not model yourself
On another

Welcome all that is
Mastery will find you

***