his needs were catered to…the cooking…castle cleaned…laundry done…stupid jokes laughed at…always placed first…insecurities demanded it…

no empire was built…never a great amassed wealth…crumbs fought-over at Sunday dinners…he’d laugh at two brothers wrestling for a biscuit…piece of bread…anything placed before us…never enough…

what were they thinking…these two…kids playing house…kids having kids…kids…kids…kids…was it ever anything more than make-believe…couldn’t tell…afraid to ask…

and now he sits on a pauper’s thrown…alone…alone…watching television and grinning at other’s misfortunes…miscues…mistakes…just sits there…howling…

i wonder if he knows…gets it…he didn’t win…he did not win…

that… is the punchline…