"All Hail Macbeth" Poem by Daniel Brick

It was not regicide, however brutal.
It was not betrayal of a good king,
however treacherous. It was not his
subtle tongue, which slyly persuaded men
to join the evil party. It was not
drinking the witches' brew to see the future.

Look into the night sky, as he did.
Stare at that hot dark light until
you are dizzy with illumination.
Be patient as the wolf howls and
the night birds screech. Invite
fear into your heart and soul.

Now do you understand Macbeth's fate?
The ornaments of life - honor, love,
obedience, friends - he exchanged
for one glittering prize - The Crown.
He thought he was born to be King.
He summoned Hecate and the wolf.

He bloodied his knife with the sacred
life of a divine king, and blood flooded
his being, and choked every good impulse.
But his greatest sin, his unforgivable
offence, was to speak with a poet's golden
words, and make despair beautiful: "Out, out...."