Beast Of Burden Poem by Thomas King

Thy elegance of form
Hast weakened my body and soul
As the weight of thy splendor and beauty
Hast become my payload

To carry thy love
Within my pitiful heart
Hast become my penance
For wanting more than deserved

Pardon me for my weakness
But worry not for my struggles
For I hast harvested thy bounty
And now must boldly ferry thy lading

I beg thee not smile in my presence
For the weight of joy
To my corpulent heart will be added
And surely be my undoing

Let me trudge along my road to happiness
And like an oxen who carries goods
Without complaint of discourse
Shall I always be thy love's beast of burden