Why the King Wept

For the horse that died
by his hand, and the horses
swept down the river;
for the infants dead
before they reached the ford,
and the childless mothers,
and the wifeless men;
because he had spent
all his strength,
yet many died anyhow;
because they knelt to him
and called him valiant,
but he knew himself fallible;
because he wished his brother
had been king instead of him;
because he had not forgiven
his father, but had come
to understand him;
because he had run out
of strength to stop
from weeping.

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Mary Soon Lee was born and raised in London, but has lived in Pittsburgh for thirty years. She is a Grand Master of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association, and three-time winner of both the AnLab Readers' Award and the Rhysling Award. Her latest poetry book, "How to Navigate Our Universe," answers vexing questions such as "How to Surprise Saturn" and "How to Survive a Black Hole." She hides her online presence with a cryptically named website (marysoonlee.com and an equally cryptic Twitter account (@MarySoonLee).