by Emily Chen
He commands,
Don’t even need to talk;
With a simple gesture,
He can mobilize an entire army,
have an entire symphony orchestra play for him,
have the table covered with sumptuous dishes,
have ministers and knights kneeling at his feet,
have women serve him.
Everyone wants to become him,
No pains, no worries, no hunger
Everything.
I am the most gracious among the people,
I am the highest in the country;
“Majesty” they called me;
They get down on one knee,
They put their right hand on their chest,
They kiss the back of my hand.
But where is love?
Where are the love, intimacy, and family
that I longed for from the day I sit on the throne and take the crown?
I could not feel any of them,
but coldness, but interest, but hypocrisy;
I am an island,
Above but apart from the rest of the world.
Everyone wants to become me except me.
A machine, an institution.
Emily Chen is a 10th grader from Shanghai, China. Her interests span literature, gender studies, and economics. She is committed to promoting gender equality and has posted some book reviews and creative writing through social networks. She likes to travel, listen to music, and paint pictures. She is extremely excited to join this writing community, writing poems, reading poems, and doing graphic design for the poems!