If ever I be king,
and you threaten me with leaving,
I’ll abdicate my throne,
I’ll renounce my crown,
to throw myself at your feet,
to beg for your retreat—
even if all my subjects laugh at me,
even when there’s an invading army.

Let them all know they had a fool for a king,
for whom neither reign nor royalty means a thing,
and that the rumors were all along true:
He’ll let his kingdom burn if he loses you.

Karlo Sevilla, from Quezon City, Philippines, is the author of the full-length poetry collection, “Metro Manila Mammal” (Some Publishing, 2018), and the chapbook, “You” (Origami Poems Project, 2017). Twice nominated for the Best of the Net Anthology, his poems appear in Philippines Graphic, The Daily Drunk, Parody, Thimble, and others.