The King of Clay

Once upon a forgotten year
Though it seems but yesterday
They put a crown upon his head
And kissed his clay-encrusted shoes

He walked head high, unshakable,
His name was whispered upon the wind
Its very utterance sent enemies
Trembling; the king is here.

For ten whole years his reign ran on
Invincible that’s what they called
He who with his left arm struck
With force and speed of Ares’ might.

But a man is not a god.

He who spent his younger days
In Spanish summers, drifting in
A fairytale childhood life,That mask unveiled – harsh reality.

He slipped – but once – but
More than enough for the crowd
To turn upon him like
A tide of doubt and uncertainty

Roaring up over his head.
The long-deserved respect
Dissolved and reformed into siege-engines
That tried to tear down his walls.

They who were once his subjects
Faltered in his hour of need.
They who had sworn loyalty
And once had fallen at his feet

Betrayed.

But the king not once did abdicate
Through blood and sweat he climbed to grace
He walked out from his castle walls
And shook off a thousand injuries

His shoes leave red-orange footprints behind,
His sweat waters the dusty ground
But the Spanish bullfighter is ready again
To reclaim that which he never lost.

The King of Clay reigns again.

[Because His Majesty Rafael Nadal is magnificent. Also this will not be the last time I write about him – I love him too much.]