Thin King

The thin king
is lost in thought.
He’s thinking
about trifle
and chocolate
and strawberry jam
and marshmallows
and donuts
and cream oozing out of buns.
He’s considering cakes
and pastries
and pies
and jam roly-poly
and treacle sponge.
He’s dwelling on food
that would fatten him up
and provide him
with the sort of weight
he could throw
about a bit.
If only he could get off that diet
the Queen’s kept him on
throughout his long reign
and taste something delicious again,
like trifle
and chocolate
and sweet strawberry jam…

So now, when you see
the thin king thinking,
you’ll know
what he’s thinking about
and why he looks,
even though he’s the king,
pinched and disappointed,
as if he’s missing out.