So stands the proudest of beasts upon the field,
Ever bold in his journey, ever sure of his steps
the burdens of the past put aside, never to trouble
the conquering hero upon his noble throne.

But upon every throne lies a snare
to catch the beast in his moment of weakness
while all look away, the beast paces
seeking satiation at the nearest pond

He snarls, and all genuflect properly
He laughs, and all join the raucous utterance
He weeps, and the nation mourns for his loss
and slowly the snare tightens around his neck.

It is when the beast is quiet than all look anon
and in those silent moments, do the seeds of destruction
grow within the clay caked upon his feet.
Anchoring King to land, and people to King.

For this vine will come to neither fruit nor flower,
wrapping it's tendrils into the proud edifice
that all have set their burdens upon.
A small crack forms as he stretches his arms

A lean to each side rips away at his flesh
and if the now poor beast were to step free
the trap would cinch tight, and end the struggle.
The wisest of them all, ended by a simple snare.

And the people wail, for who shall save them
if not their fallen champion? Who shall be
the new hero to take the burdens of all
Hour king. Hour lord, Hour master, Hour sacrifice.

In him we strike out our own faults and woes,
righteous anger upon his brow for his faults,
Victory against him, for hour sins are absolved,
by the shedding of his royal, guilty ichor upon the stone.

Rejoice, for the sins are paid, the people scream
Rejoice, for justice comes to all,
Rejoice, for the pain of millions is paid in full,
upon this one tiny altar of woe where one suffers for all.

And I will continue to repeat the lesson
until the assembly learns it properly,
for the lesson is not that one pays for all,
a child's understanding, a fair tale to sooth to sleep.

It is only the fool that slips free of the snare,
not the proudest, and the grandest. The chattering
Jay hops in to snatch a morsel of meat.
The quiet Owl who devours the wretched that also feast.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc6vs-l5dkc]