Why He Killed The Emperor Poem by David Welch

He reigned down through the centuries,
and every human knew his name,
Emperor Guiscard the Deathless,
from Quebec this great figure came.

Arising in chaotic times
in the twenty-first century,
when cultures were falling apart
as we grew our technology.

When the whole world seemed set to burn
from the set limits of our minds,
when solutions could not be found,
and it seemed a matter of time

Until mankind destroyed itself,
Armageddon of our own make,
from those who valued seeming right
more than correcting their mistakes.

But Guiscard was something different,
the man's brain could do strange things,
could think of ten things at one time,
so deeply it made autists blink.

Yet still could go and interact
with people with greatest of skill,
the man made friends in mere minutes,
and with the ladies he just killed.

Guiscard could look at behaviors
and predict what you would do next,
he seemed to just absorb data
and the endless reems of context.

He could tell how countries would act,
advise leaders where to look next,
his processed economic trends
and brought home such gigantic checks.

He'd look at a blueprint and know
what changes would make it work best,
performance and efficiency,
he put engineers to the test.

He'd discourse on philosophy,
and theology in the same breath,
none had seen such a polymath,
we have not seen another yet.

But what really shock the whole world
was that as the decades rolled by
Guiscard just didn't seem to age,
this prodigy just wouldn't die.

As time went by his advising
saved millions from horrors of war,
his consulting advanced our tech
to the point it ran up the score.

His economic wisdom made
people richer, so rich that folks
who most called ‘poor' owned two houses,
even when their judgement was a joke.

The man just achieved so damn much
that people all began to ask
why don't we put this guy in charge?
He seems to be up to the task.

Of course people resisted this,
such a state seemed a tyrannic one,
like something they'd read in scifi;
Dune, Warhammer, or Foundation.

In fact it took six more decades
for most people to see the light,
by then most folks owned three houses,
and lived two centuries of life.

Strangely enough Guiscard himself
seemed kind of depressed at the thought,
smiled not at coronation,
yet didn't deny what they sought.

That was eight hundred years ago,
we crowned that King of All Mankind,
he led us up, into the stars,
a whole galaxy we did find.

He'd push the tech until light years
took just days for men to travel,
wrote laws that stood the test of time,
so the species didn't unravel.

Even wrote the curriculums
that adapted to student's needs,
enough chaos to keep things fresh,
enough order so we didn't bleed.

He made humanity stable,
something it had once never been,
Guiscard brought us the Golden Age,
the greatest amongst living men.

And it was quite a shock to us
when we heard the great man was dead,
murdered by a mere janitor,
stabbed deep in the back of the head.

All know that janitor's name now,
Chin Miller, just some working schlub,
no criminal record had he,
at life the man seemed like a dud.

He'd not accomplished anything,
not brains, no great strength, no hard work,
to this day people wonder why
he became a murderous jerk.

No one has yet to answer that,
well, nobody out there but me,
and you ask how I know the truth,
how all this could possibly be?

See I'm the executioner
who sent Chin Miller to the grave,
and to me he spoke his last words,
and good lord the words he did say…

I remember the man's grave look,
he did not look afraid to die,
just looked at me and said, "Please hear
why I did this horrible crime.

"Someone should know why I killed him,
the truth that would defy belief,
it wasn't hate that drove my hand,
I sought to give Guiscard relief.

"I cleaned as I was paid to do,
the way I'd cleaned for fifteen years,
found the Emperor just inside
of the palace, nearly in tears.

"I say nearly because his face
looked much like it wanted to weep,
but remained dry, looking listless,
not a tear from his eyes did seep.

"I asked him if I should come back,
but he just motioned me to stay,
I cleaned around him awkwardly,
until he turned and faced my way.

"Said, ‘Chin, there is something I need.'
I was shocked the man knew my name,
all I did was sweep up his halls,
and yet he knew me just the same.

"He said, ‘Last night I had a son,
my six hundred and forty-third,
his mother looked on, overjoyed,
and I faked a smile for her.

" ‘But as I held that crying babe
I admit to feeling nothing,
no joy, no pride, nor cold sadness,
nothing made made my heart cry of sing.

" ‘And Chin, I knew that would happen,
since it's happened often before,
my first child had me bawling,
now I can't wait to get out the door.

" ‘I used to have my favorite foods,
was rather fond of good poutine,
now everything has become bland,
be it meats or something green.

" ‘I used to love talking with friends,
they gave such meaning to my life,
but after watching them all die…
it no longer makes my eyes bright.

" ‘I've loved women of every type,
indulged in every sort of sex,
from passionate to quite depraved,
yet now, more and more, I neglect.

" ‘I used to the love to read the words
of the greatest minds of mankind,
now I've learned all the arguments,
wisdom no longer seems sublime.

" ‘I used to want to lead people
down a path both gilded and true,
but I've seen all people can build,
there's nothing left to me that's new.

" ‘The people call me ‘the Deathless, '
and that is why I have no tears,
all that can happen I have seen,
so nothing brings joy or brings fear.

" ‘Once I thought that I was like God,
Jesus was sent to save our souls,
and I was sent to save this world,
but all of that was just ego.

" ‘The truth is, I feel nothing Chin,
time has stripped all of it away,
man should not live a thousand years,
and I no longer want to stay.

" ‘When each day just becomes a blur,
when years seem like nothing but weeks,
it's not the future that you crave,
it's some sort of final relief.

" ‘That's why it's hard to ask of you
what I am requesting right now,
the people won't understand it,
they'll hate you as much is allowed.

" ‘But if you truly want to serve,
to do one great thing for your liege,
there is one place where I can die,
where the spine meets the skull, you see.

" ‘Take that knife from the mantlepiece,
strike hard and strike deep, my good friend,
I'm begging you to end my life
so I can feel human again.' "

Of course then Chin hesitated,
how could he not at this request?
But Guiscard's eyes showed emptiness,
too tired to plead for death.

So Chin did what was asked of him,
the Emperor died with a smile,
and Chin never revealed all this
at his circus of a trial.

He trusted it only with me,
and with me, for now, it remains,
the people are not ready yet,
the truth of it would just cause pain.

Since they still build the man's statues,
mourn the loss the date of his death,
would they accept what I would say?
I don't think they are quite there yet.

But one day I must make it known,
despite any blowback of rage,
since Guiscard's kids are all alive,
and not one of them seems to age…