Today, the story ends differently.
Today, the Emperor’s henchmen catch wind
Of this young boy’s words.
“We need to silence this truth-sayer!
What to do?”
It doesn’t take long
Till the henchmen drug such troublemakers
And lock them up.
“We will call the boy ‘crazy.’
No real evidence is necessary,
And no one can prove we are wrong.”
What do these brave boys do?
They are stripped of their power and their voices.
Oh, little boy, I ask,
What choice do you have now?
You are tied in chains
And your hair is growing long.
The little boy strips off his own clothes.
Perhaps it’s his last desperate act.
Such little boys don’t take “No” for an answer.
Today, the gathering crowd demands change.
Why have we waited this long?
We call it all a “tragedy.”
So this is why I write.
I tell stories about that little uppity boy
Whose skin, now naked, shines in the dark
So brightly that it lights the way.
–Julie Greene
Written just now, while walking Puzzle
