The Jester's Ballad by Daniel Sylvester

In the midst of her uncertainty,
The Queen sat unassured
As she tried to best decide
Which form of mirth she most preferred.

To a cast of Kings and minstrels
Came a Jester to be heard
A song he'd wield and would not yield
until her heart was stirred

His new tune soon grew clear
and it's lyrics filled their ears
So the queen, bid the Jester to her side
and smiling as she did she cried

"Dance my blessed Jester!
Come dance till you drop!
Spin like a top in all your love,
but do not ever stop

And I will sing the summer rain
gently tapping at your brain
and you will sing again each spring
but only the refrain."

She strummed upon his heart strings
her voice Chimed in time
A pure a desperate love song
The somber honest kind

With haunting refrains that forever remained
trapped in the back of his mind
Rich and sweet but incomplete,
ending without ending
and never intending to rhyme.

At first the fool held fast his soul
upheld his wits and stance
But then, compelled, he lost control
And could not help but dance.

And the Jester sprang forth singing
Springing from his seat
And silver bells were bobbing
Things were ringing at his feet

An endless stream of flowers
Showers from his hands
And flutters to his sovereign
Neath her bower where she stands.

He bends where others couldn't.
His spirit wouldn't break
Fumbling or tumbling
What ever it would take.

Before a crowd of royalty,
Beggars even thieves
He'd whirl in stain-glass sunlight
Like a rush of Autumn leaves!

Whirling and twirling
Through darkened corridors.
He'd dance aloft the table tops
And waltz across the floor.

And he persisted dancing
As he long to chance the fancy,
Or just the mere reflection
Of her majesty's affection.
In the moon light he would pace
for her countenance and grace
Matching every motion
With a song of sweet devotion
'till her blood rose like an ocean to her face
And he'd sing,
"Let's dance
A slow dance
And whirl through this world
We'll hold hands
And romance
Our garments unfurled
And I'll sing you
A love song
That quickens your pulse
And I will make love to thee,
You'll fall in love with me
No other lover will witness this waltz!"

Then dancing bravely dancing,
Like a pony proudly prancing
Through the restless crowd he'd roam
In his fancy ever dancing
For the chance to lie romancing
And to make the Queen his own.
With each step he kept advancing
In a trance he went on dancing
Always glancing at the throne
'till a pain fatigued the dancer
Like a cancer in his bones!

His legs of lead just gave away.
His knees and feet were throbbing.
His arms of chain began to sway.
His head was clearly bobbing.
For his longing had been robbing him
Of stamina and steam.
And such a pitiful sight it seemed
To watch him stagger fight and scream,
Too drained to dance
Too week to walk,
Too late to hate the Queen.

Spinning like a top he dropped
Panting out of breath
Gasping for his life
He nearly danced himself to death.

While few if but the Gypsy
Even knew the Jesters name
And as she understood his passion
She had sensed his inner pain.

She knew the language of his eyes
And understood his dreams.
She saw the crown of thorns he wore
And then she saw the Queens.

Yet on this day
The court would see
His antics were purest poetry
While his love remained undaunted,
No flaws could haunt his magic tricks
And when the audience responded,
Applause proceeded quick,
So he through a kiss to the Queen

But the gesture went unseen
And the Queen never noticed.
So the Jester turned and focused
His attention to his art,
Resuming his act and reminding his heart
That he was but a jester, at best a pest there
And could never play the part.

But he'd tumble the bounds of the court that day.
He'd flip and fall and do it all
In a comical sort of way!
Oh, how funny he must have seemed
At times he laughed until he screamed
Making his rounds as the king of the clowns,
In his folly making jolly for the melancholy Queen.

But crying inside, he'd just sigh
And try,
And try
And try once more.
Pursing his lips, he'd lay each gift on the floor
Just there before her.
So he might show and she would know
How much he truly adored her.
But his pain of hours and the rain of flowers
Were clever but never enough.
For she couldn't seem to see that he was dying
For her love.

And while the Queen sat, motionless
On her soft and guarded throne,
The Jester in his hopelessness
Went off to scale the mountain tops,
To touch the sky and ask it why
he had to climb alone.

But it was just the palace walls
That he would climb that day
And stone by stone
He'd climb alone
His blood and tears his sweat and fear
Showed every step of the way!

And one by one he'd climb her walls
His soul possessed, he did not rest
Until he'd climbed them all
And perching on the tallest wall,

He called to all below,
"Up here I'll chance my final dance.
Down there I'll end this show.
My word I'll keep! But do not weep.
Its a lovers leap you know!

But first my lord, on your accord...
I'll do miracles for thee
The rarest art of conjuring hearts
And so much more your Majesty,
A finale that you'll have to see!!

And with these words, the Jester's hand
Extended through the air!
And every eye would follow
As they turned their heads to stare!

And no one drank or swallowed
Nor even breathed the air
But watched him stir the empty space
And capture what was there!

A gasp was heard, but not a word
Then silence everywhere.
The Queen arose upon her toes
And children stood on chairs!

For he displayed what he had made,
His magic was his art
And there upon his palm it laid...
A Crimson Crystal heart!!

And sparkling with sunlight,
He held the heart in view
And gestured to the Queen to say
I've made this just for you!

These miracles were improvised
His movements unrehearsed
But now, another heart appeared
As quickly as the first!

Then one arose behind his ear!
Another from his shall!
Then from his nose one more appeared,
The next from nowhere at all!

He'd conjure up a crimson heart
And then when he was done,
He'd toss it high in to the sky
And make another one!

His magic was hypnotic,
The court was in a trance
And rolling by each heart and eye
Revolved within his hands!

They watched the whirling crimson!
They heard the minstrels flute!
And as they watched the hearts rise up
Their own would follow suit!

Like sparks that fly from fire
The hearts rise up and fall
As the Jester's own desire
Rose and danced upon the wall!

And with this farce composed of hearts
He gambled with disaster
But with his art, he seemed to start
To win the Queen with laughter!

So he sang as he juggled
And the minstrel played along
The audience was puzzled
But content to hear a song.

For as innocence seduced them
Like an impish child thief,
Beneath the cover of confusion
They were stripped of disbelief.

In nakedness they stood
Enlightened, Yet naive,
And when intellect conceded,
All they understood was that they needed to believe!

And the Jester spoke aloud
But he spoke as in a dream
He seemed ignorant of the crowd
And spoke directly to the Queen!

"Take my hands and take my art
My humble gifts are few
And these, my crimson crystal hearts
I'd break each one for you.

So take them, forsake them
Or break them on the floor...
There is no limit to my love
I'll keep on making more! "

And he stared down at her majesty,
His love defying gravity,
As each unbroken crimson heart,
Burning, over head,
These fragile tokens of his love,
A blur of swirling red!

The Jester bowed, Above the crowd
And spoke aloud
Again,

"Who in all the courtyard
Could match this single feat?!"

His blood began to tingle
For the words had tasted sweet.
But every word turned bitter
And he felt the magic fleet.
All hopes began to wither
While his heart could barely beat
And his eyes came to stare upon
One glaring vacant seat...

Where,
Was the Queen?
And how,
Could she leave him?
The woman,
He had grown to love,
The friend that he believed in
He wondered!
And pondered!
Could his own heart deceive him?
He loved her like no other
How could she leave him?

Emptied of his love
He stood upon the wall of stone
And sadly fixed his somber eyes upon her vacant throne.

Never, ever had the Jester
felt so much alone
And falling through the emptiness,
each heart felt like his own!

So one last time he hurled his hearts
And once more they'd descend
But flying from his hand he knew
they'd not return again!

And as the first one fell to earth,
His face grew wet and pale,
With the wringing of his fingers bringing crimson crystal hail!
And his magic seemed to fail
As the tragic hail poured,
Sounding, pounding on the floor
With a rapping, cracking clatter
All the crimson matter scattered
And the room began to roar!
Until every, single heart had shattered on the marble floor!!

Now wondering he wondered
While in pain his brain thundered
As there burst a mighty roar,
Greater than the one before
Like a war upon the floor!
As the howling crowd
Was shouting out,

"Encore! Encore!"

But silence, like a bead of lead
Had settled deep within his head
And looking into space,
He touched his finger to his face
As the crowd became his mirror
He'd never seen so great a fool
The only trick that he could pull,
Had caused the Queen to disappear.

But stiffening up,
He turned and spoke,
As if his show had been a joke, he sighed,

"Oh well, to hell with this love of mine
I'll embrace mortality!
Its a tiny step for mankind
But a giant leap for me!

I have no real possessions
Or friends to give them to,
But I can not take it with me
So I'll leave my love with you!"

For a deep and potent moment he just stood in silent prayer,
But then leaping from the wall he flew embracing but the air!
To the swollen, molten cries,
All the children hid their eyes
To the screaming marble floor!
But turning from the scene,
Each face would race to find the doors!
And in their fear, they'd hold their ears
As not to hear the sound.
But seconds passed...then whispers passed
And each one slowly turned around
And then looked up at one another
As they'd suddenly discover
That the Jester and the Queen,
could not be seen or heard or found!

Now all eyes turned toward heaven
From the pathway of the wall,
Ascending up the brick and rock
To where they heard him call.
And knowing that no mortal man
Could live through such a fall
They wondered if he ever really had been there at all!!

And the people searched,
And search again
But none can find the truth
Only parts of shattered hearts
And not a shred of proof!