Insolence

The roof men hushed as they began to stare,
At the twilight they called their own.
Shadows of nature demanded silence,
As the dark king took his throne.

The men kneeled on the tops of the houses,
As the mighty king was crowned.
Yet no one applauded or sang or danced--
No one made a sound.

That was the way it had always been,
In the village called Respect.
But something had been growing,
And now stood herself erect.

She rose slowly, encompassed by shadows,
So the roof men could not see,
How the children found and climbed
That cunning, rising tree.

Soon they grew so plentiful,
And she so very tall,
The roof men laid their eyes on her
And struggled not to fall.

They kneeled before the king and asked
For her to go away.
And yet she grew before the king,
And she still grows today!

The king must now accomplice her
And he does this with a frown.
The village called Respect still craves
That axe to cut her down.