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A King Still Yet a Man
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By Rich Tassinari
Other Poems by Rich Tassinari


              A King Still Yet a Man

My father’s asses wandered far from home
And I was chosen to retrieve the beasts,
Like wind, misguided creatures whirl and roam
In all directions north, south, west, and east.

The sought or seeker, who shall find whom first?
Mere chance, as much as plans, may just suffice,
Peculiar pains of hunger parched with thirst
Will guide as quick as any good advice.

I haven’t found the beasts, but I’ve been found,
Or so I’m told by him whose help we sought,
And now unto a new direction bound-
A king! Perhaps my searching overshot.

But no, events make man, and man responds,
One day a simple man, next day a king,
And, suddenly, events and man make bonds
As each, unto the other, want and cling.

I am a king, anointed, chosen, crowned,
A king who leads my people Israel
To victory upon the battleground,
All enemies who threaten, I repel.

I am a king, my word they do obey,
My people praise my power and my might,
They hearken to the fighting words I say,
They follow me into the fray and fight.

But lo, the seer comes forward to contest,
I acted out of popularity,
And kept the spoils of war, I thought it best,
Despite what Samuel instructed me.

And now, I am rejected and reversed,
Repenting won’t eliminate the sin,
I’ve falling from a blessing and am cursed,
The field on which I fight is deep within.

I am alone, and yet I am my foe,
Two fighters trading blows within one man,
What peace am I to find or ever know?
I fail to save myself, but then, who can?

Sweet music is the balm that pacifies,
And lays my torment to a peaceful rest,
When David plays, the foe within me dies,
His soothing music is a welcome guest.

But music’s tempo also beats with rage
Within my breast to hear the women sing
Of David’s greatness in the wars we wage,
Their songs praise David as a better king.

Unsteady is my reign, unsteady me,
Success and failure plague my every thought,
It’s murder that will set the demon free
Who takes from me the glory I have sought.

But David’s swifter than my errant spear,
He flees and lives among our mortal foe,
Although he’s gone, my demon’s always near
Abiding in the mind I used to know.

The Philistines, emboldened, march to fight,
Among my people still I am the king
Who snatches victory from loss despite
The torment that a fall from grace can bring.

Today, I sought but failed to find success,
There is no use to plea before the Lord,
For that which started great has ended less,
My demon falls with me upon my sword.

Rich Tassinari 7/28/14

This poem is about a tragic Biblical person. He started with such hope, fell from grace, likely lost his mind, and finally committed suicide. Unfortunately, there are sad stories in the Bible; but, there are sad stories in life and in many ways Biblical characters portray what can and does happen in all times.  


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Submitted: Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Last Updated: Tuesday, July 29, 2014

About the Poet
Husband, father, grandfather, and each title is my joy. As a youth, poetry was a means to express the inexpressable. I was attracted to (and still am) the beauty and brevity of verse. All flows out from God, and like a proper prayer, can flow back.


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