Day 6: Dispatches from the Belly of Empire

The Naked Emperor
by Beth Weaver-Kreider

The naked emperor,
demented and sad
on his throne of artificial gold,
receives his own dispatches
of carefully crafted lies
to shore up his top-heavy ego.

His courtiers avert their eyes,
and no one dares to speak it—
He is naked. He is mad.
They whisper in the echoing hallways,

and feed his insatiable appetite
for fame and relevance,
while drowning out the sounds
of protest in the streets,
the cheering crowds,
the songs of change and justice.