Stephen Dunn - History

Its like this, the king marries
a commoner, and the populace cheers.
She doesnt even know how to curtsy,
but he loves her manners in bed.
Why doesnt the king do what his father did,
the kings mother wonders
those peasant girls brought in
through that secret entrance, thats how
a kingdom works best. But marriage!
The kings mother wont come out
of her room, and a strange democracy
radiates throughout the land,
which causes widespread dreaming,
a general hopefulness. This is,
of course, how people get hurt,
...