Chose Your Battles Wisely.

The king had it all in the black and white world,

He would wake up every morning impearled.

The courtiers bowed to him, the soldiers raised a salute,

He had it all together, bar a queen who was mute!

A fierce battle he had won,

When his kingdom had just begun,

He brought back gold, diamond, and jewels,

But was cursed by a widow with two mighty spells!

One was that his queen would be mute,

Other, his kingdom would never bear any fruit.

That’s when the king’s world turned grey,

He realized that the only thing he could do was pray!

He went around the world on his horse,

To ensure there would be no remorse,

That he did try his best,

So that when death came, he could indeed rest!

He searched for a cure everywhere,

Cut through the land, sea, and air,

Then he returned back to his kingdom,

Without any humdrum!

Quietly, he went up to the queen,

Who stood still, beautiful, serene.

He wanted to hold her in his arms,

But she turned away, acted mean.

The king then raised his sword at her,

And she vanished away in the ether.

“Love is not a battle.” Her nightingale whispered then,

You cannot win everything with your horses, knights, and men!

Oh, my lady! Don’t you leave me alone he pleaded,

I will do anything that is needed.

 “Do it if you can oh king!

Go get the widow her son so that she too can sing!”

The king then met the widow, saw her pain,

He had won the war, it was only his gain.

The old lady cried helplessly in vain,

For she had lost her son again!

Once when he was killed in the war,

As he chose to be the king’s soldier.

And once when he came home after that,

Pleading his mother to take back the curse.

The king looked the widow in the eyes,

He could not contain the surprise!

He was happy that the soldier was alive,

That the spell would not thrive.

And then the king asked the widow to call her son,

Seeing through her wrinkled eyes, she was eighty - one!

She said, "he cannot come now,

For his soul rests in my garden."

The king then fell on his knees,

Helpless, weary of the widow’s pleads,

He cried, his tears falling on her feet,

Asking for forgiveness, accepting defeat!

He then went back to his palace,

And begged for the queen to see him.

She then appeared from the ether,

With gathers of flowers underneath her.

He was mesmerized at her beauty, stood still,

The queen then said, “I love you, my dear king.”

The spell was broken,

The king's tears had brought joy to the kingdom forsaken.

The king's life was black and white again,

He understood what he had to conquer,

And what he had to let go,

Else he shall be lost in the greys forever.