The Castle

• Lily Grant, Grade 8, Mt Eliza Secondary College
• Poetry
• 2022

Excellence Award in the 'Unleashed 2022' competition

Hiding behind statuesque cobblestone walls of old,
Lie many a harrowing story untold.
These abounding turrets tall,
A deadly facade always destined to fall.

The whispers that echoed through vacant rooms,
Held vile tales about the cruel king that ruled.
A servant's fractured, begging cries,
The screams of the tortured that resounded in the night.

The villagers that once enriched the king with gold,
Stormed their ruler's mighty castle, uncontrolled.
The flames danced wild and crawled up walls,
The citizens roaring for freedom amid the pall.

The castle, erst overrun with corrupted royals,
Now home to the villagers who share the castle's bountiful spoils.
From the ashes, a new empire grows,
To the servants mistreated, the ruling bestows.