Bard Billot bye-byes Her Kindness
Red Sails in the Sunset
Lo, the crowds gathered,
And some cheered, and most clapped,
But quite a few were nowhere to be seen,
For these rebels were all laid up with the Plague
Which they still refused to believe existed.
Down from her Tower
stepped the Queen formerly known as Her Kindness,
Past the courtiers and Ministers,
Carrying her Technics SL-1210 Mk7 turntables.
The Boy King Chipkins shuffled nervously.
Chancellor Grantus kicked aside some burning paper scrip
That fell from the hovering inflationary balloon overhead.
Royal Consort Gayfforde strolled with his collection of rods.
The Ghost of Capital Gains Taxes watched forlornly,
The Phantom of Co-Governance faded into invisibility.
The Pink Unicorns gathered, and so did the Green Unicorns,
And the many divers followers of various Faiths.
For a brief afternoon even The Great War was put on hold,
As Baron Luxon arrived to pay tribute to his old adversary.
Thank you and goodbye, saith the Former Red Queen,
As she waved and communicated and emoted.
By the way, she saith:
Something should be done about climate change,
But preferably not anything political,
For in these times, liberal centrist technocratic management
Is the appropriate warmth of democratic temper.
The fickle Gallery scribes who just the season past
Had mock’d her incessantly wiped a tear away,
And scribbled instead of her great perspicacity.
Then the Former Red Queen and her retainers
Stepped onto her royal yacht Heart on my Sleeve
And sailed away into the Western Seas
Followed by an honour guard of swooping, flapping
Rainbow hued winged unicorns,
As storm clouds gathered above King’s Landing,
And the fresh grass grew in tufts
On the lawn of the Great Palace. Victor Billot was previously moved to write Odes for Jacinda Ardern on October 2020, July 2021, November 2021 ("the Prime Sinister"), and May 2022.
