When you rule alone
You are alone
No fool to scold you
No cabinet to hold you
No opposition to challenge what you do
There are no bearings in this sea
Just sea and sky now endlessly
And stars to steer by –
They all left the sky
You cannot bear the slightest slight
Your rule is strong
And might is right
And protest is put down
You go to jail
For protest weakens this estate
Autocracy allows no mate
I rule this land – not law
And you obey
The mighty halls
The table long
Keep far away the massing throng
I say how it is
And it will be
Except we others know this game
It always always ends the same
The ruler falls – he does
He does – you’ll see
Brian Fahy
26 September 2022
Erris Poetry 