{"id":439,"date":"2025-09-03T10:53:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T15:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/?p=439"},"modified":"2025-09-03T10:53:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T15:53:09","slug":"the-mad-king","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/2025\/09\/03\/the-mad-king\/","title":{"rendered":"The Mad King"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"><em>Something one of my novel worlds poked to life.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The crushing weight of duty<br \/>\nLike irons weighing down<br \/>\nThe love of kin and country<br \/>\nPile lead upon the crown.<\/p>\n<p>While his heart seeks out an answer<br \/>\nHis mind is giving in.<br \/>\nNot to pride or to hubris<br \/>\nNor to bright and tempting sin.<\/p>\n<p>No his mind breaks with knowledge<br \/>\nOf home and hearth and soul<br \/>\nEach valley, hill, and tussock<br \/>\nMakes complaint and takes its toll.<\/p>\n<p>Each suffering, every burden<br \/>\nFlows toward the throne<br \/>\nEvery pain and every sorrow<br \/>\nMakes its burden known.<\/p>\n<p>But kings on earth are mortal<br \/>\nAnd cannot match the king above.<br \/>\nSo great and crushing burden<br \/>\nIs killing him through love.<\/p>\n<p>Yet as he does his duty,<br \/>\nWith stubborn heart and will<br \/>\nOne day will come another<br \/>\nWho can bear the burden still.<\/p>\n<p>No stranger to the burden<br \/>\nNo battled foreign foe<br \/>\nHis blood will come in mercy<br \/>\nAnd to the burden grow.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Mad King<\/em> copyright \u00a9 Heather Strickler 2025 all rights reserved<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Something one of my novel worlds poked to life. The crushing weight of duty Like irons weighing down The love of kin and country Pile lead upon the crown. While his heart seeks out an answer His mind is giving in. Not to pride or to hubris Nor to bright and tempting sin. No his&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/2025\/09\/03\/the-mad-king\/\">Read More <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">The Mad King<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":440,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[14,13],"tags":[26,22,12,15,11],"class_list":["post-439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-poetry","category-writing","tag-duty","tag-grim","tag-hope","tag-oaths","tag-poetry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/TheMadKing.jpg?fit=600%2C600","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/parUcj-75","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":412,"url":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/2025\/07\/25\/soul-night\/","url_meta":{"origin":439,"position":0},"title":"Soul Night","author":"Heather","date":"July 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"It has been a rough several years. If you hurt you are not broken. There is light and it is not an oncoming train. Let sorrow sing it\u2019s burden From a weary wandering soul. As night pulls back the curtain On toil\u2019s painful toll. Let grief have its moment And\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Poetry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/category\/writing\/poetry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Soul-Night.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Soul-Night.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Soul-Night.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":338,"url":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/2025\/02\/24\/a-simple-prayer\/","url_meta":{"origin":439,"position":1},"title":"A Quiet Prayer","author":"Heather","date":"February 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Something that came to me this morning. I hope you enjoy it. Before the sun comes up And the noisy day begins, In the quiet of the darkness The press of \u2018hurry\u2019 thins. Listen in the stillness For the soft beloved voice That so often is forgotten As we face\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Poetry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/category\/writing\/poetry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/A-Quiet-Prayer.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/A-Quiet-Prayer.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/A-Quiet-Prayer.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":328,"url":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/2025\/02\/12\/between_burdens\/","url_meta":{"origin":439,"position":2},"title":"Between Burdens","author":"Heather","date":"February 12, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A little melancholy, but I hope something that brings peace as well. A silver fall of ash drifts on a golden breeze While the frosty winter wind carries autumn leaves. A quiet soul disturbed by the changing of the tides Looks out to where the light quietly subsides. No fairies\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Poetry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/category\/writing\/poetry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Between-Burdens.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Between-Burdens.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Between-Burdens.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":501,"url":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/2025\/12\/01\/decisions\/","url_meta":{"origin":439,"position":3},"title":"Decisions","author":"Heather","date":"December 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A poem from my Dwarven Throne world. I hope you enjoy it. Decisions in the dawn before the sun can see That echo in the fabric of all reality. Backwards now and forwards, weaving on through time Though they have never given a reason or a rhyme. Decisions in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Poetry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/category\/writing\/poetry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Decisions.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Decisions.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Decisions.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":432,"url":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/2025\/08\/04\/chains-of-light\/","url_meta":{"origin":439,"position":4},"title":"Chains of Light","author":"Heather","date":"August 4, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Because great troubles also contain great hope. Clash of magic and flash of steel Madness crowned by stubborn will Bright and shining hope confined A hero\u2019s heart and hero\u2019s duty now maligned. Deamon breath by ocean shore Chaining virtue as a power store. Shining silver against the chains Beauty and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Poetry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/category\/writing\/poetry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Chains-of-Light.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Chains-of-Light.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Chains-of-Light.jpg?fit=600%2C600&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":445,"url":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/2025\/09\/12\/edge-of-darkness\/","url_meta":{"origin":439,"position":5},"title":"Edge of Darkness","author":"Heather","date":"September 12, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Days are dark but hope is never gone. A light in the darkness cannot be quenched. A star in the sky burns forever entrenched. Where there is light, the night holds no sway. And though darkness may come, to dawn it gives way. A candle held high can be snuffed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Poetry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/category\/writing\/poetry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=439"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":441,"href":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439\/revisions\/441"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dreaminginplot.com\/MainBlog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}