PRODIGAL PRINCE

How’s a young prince supposed to embrace his destiny
If the old king isn’t around to bestow a legacy
A prince who knows not what he was born to be
Growing up in the shadows of a throne left empty
Left doubting his birth right to the monarchy
Made to believe his place lies lowly in life’s hierarchy

How’s a prince supposed to know his mother is queenly
If the king isn’t around to rule with her royally
To demonstrate how to treat his future consort properly
Can the prince then raise his own heirs differently
Although his predecessor abdicated so cowardly
He’s somehow expected to battle his demons bravely

A student learns and surpasses his master eventually
But a stem without roots is doomed to wither fruitlessly
Kingdoms fall when kings and queens shirk their duty
Through it all, the kingdom that suffers most is family

K.G. says…

How does a boy learn to be a man without having one to look up to and teach him? How does he understand where he came from if that point of reference isn’t there? The importance of a parent’s presence in their child’s life cannot be understated.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to grow up with the presence of both parents. Without the guiding influence of a parent, the offspring is left to his/her own devices to figure out the tough challenges life presents. Consequently, this often leads to the child making wrong choices and doubting their self and can potentially enable others to take advantage.

NO CHILD IS BORN A VILLAIN

No child is born a villain
No preconceptions of dishonesty and killing
Moulded instead by traumas and teachings
As strife skews perceptions and feelings
Driven to leave behind unpleasant legacies
Pain makes the heart beat at frantic frequencies
Causing the mind to delve in dark fantasies
That brew hatred and wicked tendencies

No child is ever born evil
Rather, a warped world changes people
Same world which punishes the feeble
And pierces innocence with its poisoned needle
Villainy is a curse that society created
Through mankind’s immoralities regenerated
Conscience increasingly becomes understated
Whilst dark arts are exhibited and exonerated

K.G. says…

One of the most important jobs we ever have in our lives is how we raise children. Whether you decide not to have children or never get the opportunity to become a parent or guardian, the responsibility falls on every adult to set a good example for young people.

We learned our mother tongues by hearing and mimicking the languages spoken by grown ups. In a similar vein, minors often imitate and pick up on the behaviours and attitudes they see around them. Rather than writing off some young individuals as “lost causes”, we, as adults, should instead consider what we can do to positively influence their outlook as well as the environment they’re growing up in.

THIS FRUIT

They say the apple does not fall far
This fruit knows not from where it yield
Grew out of wood that since became unfamiliar
This fruit now ripening much further afield
Away from the surroundings it knew at the start
This fruit wonders why the tree did not shield
Against whatever force prised them apart
This fruit bears a bitter taste that’s barely healed

They say you reap what you sow
The tree spawned life which it scarcely saw
Oblivious to how those lives would eventually grow
The old tree split from its seedlings when still so raw
Had the apples not fallen far from its toes
The lone old tree would be surrounded by more
Although the sun shines and breeze blows
The dying lone old tree haunted by fruits it once bore

K.G. says…

What I (strangely) like most about this poem is that not everyone seems to grasp the metaphors. Some people probably think it’s about agricultural malpractice [LOL]. As a result, it doesn’t tend to feature among most of my readers’ favourites when they give feedback. On the flip-side, I do love it every time someone understands the true meaning. *high-fives to y’all*

Either verse is a different viewpoint stemming from the same type of situation. I won’t completely ruin the “thrill” of interpretation with a full explanation so all I’ll say is… this fruit and the tree are all “relative“.