I built a castle by the shore;
The walls are made of smoke and bone.
Seven prophets in the room;
All I saw were empty chairs.
A thousand people rushing through;
I didn’t see a soul.
I sat upon a cardboard throne;
No one said a word.
I placed the crown upon my head:
Thistle, shell and seagull feather.
In my dream flew the cannonball,
Destroyed our ships and scattered the men;
Now they sleep on the cold seabed.
We’ll soon be overrun
But I’ll tell them,
When they come,
That this is the kingdom
Of the lost,
The country
Of the dead
And I am the King,
I am the King.
Walter Weinschenk is an attorney, writer and musician. Until a few years ago, he wrote short stories exclusively but now divides his time equally between poetry and prose. Walter’s writing has appeared in a number of literary publications including the Carolina Quarterly, Lunch Ticket, The Gateway Review, The Banyan Review, Sand Hills Literary Magazine and others. His first full length book, The Death of Weinberg: Poems and Stories (Kelsay Books) will be available this winter. Walter lives in a suburb close to Washington, D. C. You can find more of Walter’s work at walterweinschenk.com.