NaPoWriMo day twentythree

Edward made no effort
although some clamored
for action. aggression
had come to a standstill.
 
no plans could be discussed
with him; he had a grievance
to air. he was reluctant
to yield to ill treatment.
 
*
 
the power of resistance had been shaken.
a temporary triumph. come to a standstill,
vindicating judgement. Edward sent word
to come to his assistance.
in a state of bitterness and gloom
so deep no one cared to go near him.
before leaving he wanted to be held.
an ultimatum: if not released
at once, he would strike another blow.
still in a state of irritation,
an accepted condition.
 
*
 
to that end,
he made the wise
decision
to establish
use. for that
purpose Edward
sent assistance,
arrived to find
himself
beaten.
no plans
could be
discussed—
he had refused
to honour
his promise.
still being held
in rigorous
confinement
he finally
yielded
to the value
of the treatment
he received,
the condition:
approved.

NaPoWriMo day twentytwo

he observed the monotony of life;
regretted the necessity of decorum.
 
official documents were sent,
the records full of expenditures.
 
Edward was never permitted
to take any part
in the mediation of a peace—
one of the hardest things to bear.
 
he does not seem to have complained,
loaded with reproaches.
 
*
 
he demanded always that
no mention of her was permitted
in his presence. he had been
accustomed to excess, needed a change
of air, regularly celebrated.
 
Edward conceived a proposal,
the idea warmly and unanimously
slipping through hands accustomed
to the habit of finding excuses.
 
*
 
one thing is certain:
her presence was a costly luxury
when needed
(which happened regularly)
he made pilgrimages to her
rising from the suggestion of trust
between the two
Edward had been inclined
to the idea of power,
the faintest scent of cruelty.
it hardly needs saying, therefore,
that on the occasions of his visits to her
he would fall into the habit of not going.

NaPoWriMo day twentyone

it is probably incorrect
to say there were stirrings
(continuously).
 
he was a man
with an eloquent tongue,
a system of whispers.
 
he waited for a signal,
known in secret.
 
the signal came
in time,
brought many changes—
 
hard laws imposed
became almost commonplace
(according to authorities).
 
*
 
all the records of the day
suggest stirrings under the surface,
the habit of assembling wrongs.
 
a man of fine and fine courage
could open the prison.
 
this was planned.
 
who refused to accept
laws formed themselves
and lived.
 
ownership increased
by leaps and bounds.
 
circumstance
became most pronounced,
a remedy for evils.
 
*
 
that labouring
lacked organization.
 
circumstances
seem to trace back
to one man
 
he was persuaded to believe,
the word was clear
 
(but that story
does not belong here)
 
death brought many changes
in conditions. so many
fell easily into immoral ways
 
so involved in the commonplace,
a complete ignorance
about everything,
nature a plague.

NaPoWriMo day twenty

about shrines:
a very strange
superstition
 
confessors
performing
at all hours
 
devotedly,
but uneasy
 
*
 
that particular day
nothing seemed to have
any beneficial effect
 
to supplement
his recovery
 
Edward loved devotedly
 
*
 
finally
they came to the last
resort
 
supplications
filled the air
at all hours
 
more effect
than effort
 
poor successors

NaPoWriMo day nineteen

The fool, looking about him
in surprise, saw the year end
in defeat and humiliation.
On this occasion,
with very few in attendance,
he would be called destined—
history encountered.
“A guest of gossip”
Resident of the tall cities
of the plains.
 
*
 
Edward saw the year end in a truce—
a great victory. He would, in time,
come to anchor. Awaiting
the arrival of a guest, Edward
enjoyed as much comfort
as could be found.
He liked to live well,
to sit down at tables
groaning with good things,
to sleep in the softest of  beds.
 
*
 
brilliant victory
and destruction.
Edward could not
capture either.
finally, he concluded.
he uttered his first
feeble sounds of life,
would, in time, corrupt
this history. Edward
took a considerable time
awaiting the arrival of wealth,
a high degree of luxury.
Would write later:
among these who abused
strength given them,
this was true:
the wealthy habit
was usually lived above.