The blade drew across his throat
And the choking began
Then the drowning
His crime
The gradual seduction
Of a princess
Then a queen
How he longed for his bed
To close around him
In its sheets
To sweep him
Into a dream of sorts
Downgrey light
That should hold so much
Promise
Rising against a welling storm
To quieten the sea
To millpond safety
And below
Easy elegance
Sliding silver
Death at its lips
Armed with technology
Beyond any human endeavour
The Blade copyright Geoff Francis 2020
Still Life copyright Geoff Francis 1997