The Empire of the Blind

The Empire of the Blind
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The Emperor in his kingdom
Ruled isolated in his dream
To conquer all things
That his vision could see

Conquer the rain, conquer the storm
Conquer the oceans
And the lives yet unborn

The citizens antlike , powerless,
Or simply conformed to survive
Lived in their circle closed
Behave forever within the pride

Small courtesies, talk of the weather,
Picture perfect, as they stood together,
Gossip on the train , hello thank you
Life was straight and life was true

Conquer the hurricanes, conquer space
Conquer the blue mountains
Lay the forests to waste

The Ministers were ecstatic
In their closed empty cocoon
They lived as they pleased
And they slept in the noon

They talked and they nodded,
Smiled knowingly and agreed
The truth that they saw
Was mirrored in greed

Conquer the galaxies, conquer minds
Conquer the supernova
Black holes and the tides

From the far edge of the universe
The jester winked and smiled,
He was the trickster, leading the blind,
Dancing in destruction, creation and time

He threw a pebble in the lake
A little ripple as a wave it spread,
A subtle suggestion, bending a rule
A butterfly fluttered over the pool

Conquer the armies, conquer souls
Conquer knowledge itself
And put it in a fish bowl

Till one sweet child
In the innocence of youth,
Lived in the moment
And made his own truth

The power of the powerless,
Strange vision to behold
It shone in the streets,
Classrooms , pubs and stores

It spread and it roared
Hit sympathetic chords,
Unpredictable winds brought calm,
At the vortex of the storm

The conquerors were blind
And did not realise
They had been conquered
By a jester and a child

Now conquerors are transformed,
Protectors of the living and the unborn,
The jester laughs aloud,the shape changer,
The trickster and the disorderly clown

Power is not everything,
Hubris and beyond,
They dare not wear,
Nature's wonderous crown.