Author's Note
This poem was inspired by the 1994 Movie Lion King
The Sphinx King
There once was a sphinx prince as golden than the sun
With preciousness equivalent to that of a bun
Able to give the brightest of smiles
Ones that could light a whole road for miles
He lived in a land that was grand and lush
Enough to make any lower ranking sphinx blush
With a strong merciful, and caring father
And a kind, caring, and regal mother
Each day for the prince one of absolute bliss
Days that any sphinx would surely miss
With plenty of friends to make it more fun
Making each adventure seem like a never-ending run
It was the best life the sphinx prince ever had
Every day he got to lived, he grew more glad
Unaware of the darkness looming overhead
Darkness that would fill his pride unrelenting dread
In the royal pride, the king had a brother
A sphinx that he did his very best not to smother
With a hear that was blacker than the fur of a skunk
Making him seem like an unapproachable punk
He hated the prince with expertly hidden spite
Spite that went higher than a rising kite
Seeing the prince as nothing more than a stain
One that kept him from getting what he wanted to obtain
And so, he devised an articulate plan
A scheme that would disgust even the most cold-hearted man
To get rid of the prince once and for all
And hopefully watch his beloved brother fall
He first sent the cub to an unknown land
A land inhabited by those who were banned
To have the young prince meet an early grave
By the uncle’s allies who lived in a cave
But to his dismay, his dear brother came
Heart afire and claws aflame
He fought of the devils that were after his son
Sending the merciless attackers on the run
Before taking the prince back to the pride
Were plenty of tears of joy were cried
Undeterred, the brother with his plot
Wasting no time doing so right on the dot
Coming up with an even more sickening scheme
Something to make any soft-hearted sphinx scream
He took the sphinx cub for a fun day out
Letting the prince make a constant spout
Blissfully unaware of the trap that was made
One the uncle would make sure was paid
With the trap set, the uncle set the plan in motion
Leading his allies as if controlling them with a potion
Watching as the canines went on the attack
Chasing the herbivores set up for the pack
Down to bury the prince straight in the sack
Plan in motion, the brother got the king
Informing him of the event that made his heart sting
And together, the brothers went down to the scene
Watching the chaos as if it was on a screen
Seeing his son in danger, the king flew into the herd
Flying through the action with the grace of a bird
Desperate to rescue his one and only child
From the clutches of death that was the wild
In less than a heartbeat, the injured king had the cub
Holding him as if he was mere grub
And took him out of the stampeding beasts
Preventing his enemies from getting an early feast
With the cub now safe, the king made the climb
Knowing his life may end on a dime
And met his dear brother at the top
Making the king come to an instant stop
Fearing for his life, the injured king pleaded
Begging for the help he so desperately needed
From the brother for who he held so much love
That was as beautiful and sacred as a dove
Sadly, for the king, the uncle was not swayed
The hatred in his heart as big as raid
Hatred that he used to grab the king
Locking him in place as if in a boxing ring
With smile, the brother threw home over the edge
Making him lose his grip on the ledge
Watching as the king as he tried to make a rise
Only to fall to his inevitable demise
Unbeknownst to the uncle, the prince was watching
Holding an expression that was every bit as shocking
Eyeing with horror as he watched his father fall
Making the prince let out a heart-wrenching bawl
One that could’ve been heard by all
With all his strength, the prince made the trek
Trying to stay strong despite being a wreck
And came upon his father’s still form
Looking as if he was killed by a storm
As the prince wept, the uncle slowly came
Wasting no time in shifting the blame
Filling the princes head with detestable lies
Even as the prince let out heart wrenching cries
With the deed done, the uncle urged the prince off
Not even giving him the chance to cough
Advising him to never even think to return
Least he faces a wrath worse than a stomach churn
Overcome with grief, the prince complied
Severing any bonds that were once tied
Leaving behind his fallen dead father
His body lying next to his monster of a brother
A brother who would soon bring a new rule
One that would as sick as it was cruel
That same night, the brother went back to the pride
Giving them the news with the force of a tide
And watched as the pride broke down in tears
Unaware of the incoming height of the fears
As the pride wept, the uncle staked his claim
One that would ensure the growth of his fame
And marked himself as the new king
Marking a new era that he would soon bring
Far away, the orphaned prince walked
Not even caring if he was being stalked
Ignorant of the darkness taking place
In the land his father once ruled with such grace
On and on, he continued to wander
Wondering if all of it was no more than a squander
Before he was approached by carefree souls
Ones that would fill his growing black holes
And give him the strength to overcome his grief
Whether it be everlasting or brief
From then on, the prince lived under their care
Raised in a land that was every bit as rare
Slowly learning to overcome his sadness
And fight off the slowly dying madness
In no time at all, the prince was full grown
In looks, in stature, and even muscle tone
Regaining the brightness, he once had as a cub
Bright enough to warm even the bitterest of bubs
One fateful day he was met with by a sphinxess
Looking like she was in great distress
A sphinxess he quickly realized as his best friend
One who believed he was long since dead
The friend told the prince of the demise of his land
And that it was no longer beautiful and grand
Having been destroyed and stripped to the bone
Filled with nothing but skeletons and stone
She urged the prince to come back home
Not knowing who else to turn to on her roam
But the prince refused to listen to her pleas
Treating his old home as if it was a disease
Something that he saw no reason to appease
That same night, the prince was met by a guest
One he didn’t really think was the best
Telling him of the mistake he was making
And the chance that he was no doubt wasting
That he had to take responsibility
And make his chance into a possibility
Even with these words, the prince was undeterred
Having had enough of what he had heard
Wanting to just be left in his home
No matter how much his guest seemed to moan
In a last-ditch effort, the guest hatched a plan
One that had him watching as the prince ran
To see the one the shaman said was alive
The one that the prince saw take a tragic dive
In that moment, he saw the deceased king
Looking as beautiful as a wedding ring
Telling him of the decision he had to make
To reclaim the lost kingdom his brother wanted take
The veil then lifted form the prince’s eyes
Making something in his heart begin to rise
Taking over and igniting a fire
One that no one could ever make tire
With his renewed purpose, the prince finally set off
The shaman watching him with a playful scoff
As the prince made his long hard journey
Soon to make an unforgettable discovery
At last, the prince returned to his pride
With his friends and future mate along for the ride
Overcome with horror at what happened to his home
And anger at the one who turned into his personal dome
With fire in his heart, the prince confronted the tyrant king
Filled with vengeance that he wanted to bring
And make him pay for all he had done
And send his former uncle out on the run
At first, the tyrant king tried to play it cool
Thinking the prince would be easy to fool
But the sly acting no longer worked
Not giving the tyrant what he wanted forked
In a last-ditch effort, the tyrant pulled a card
One sounding as sick as it was hard
Pinning the blame of his brother’s death on the prince
Doing so in a way that made said sphinx wince
As the pride questioned him, the tyrant made his move
Sensing that he had destroyed the prince’s groove
Slowly pushing him towards the edge
Where his deceased brother once used to pledge
At deaths’ door, the tyrant made a confession
A secret that once gave the prince grave depression
That he was the one who had committed the crime
Saying so with a tone as slick as slime
At the last moment, the prince went on the offensive
Making the tyrant go on the defensive
Being forced to repeat what he had said
Least the prince decided to take off his head
With the confession made, the pride went on the attack
Intent on making the tyrant into their personal rack
But the tyrant’s allies held them back
Meeting their blows with a powerful smack
As the two sides fought, the prince went to do his deed
Something he knew the pride would desperately need
In order to set them all truly free
After a brief chance the prince cornered his foe
Who did his best to look like an doe
In a desperate attempt to be shown leniency
And be let off for all of his deviancy
Somehow, someway, his efforts seemed to work
Seeing the prince had a particular quirk
One that the prince shared with his father
Something the tyrant always saw as a bother
At the last second, the tyrant performed his assault
One that the prince put to an abrupt halt
And so, the two sphinxes duked it out
Their claws and teeth overriding each shout
With each attack, their roars grew louder
Growing loud enough to reach a whole tower
Even as their blood began to splatter and fly
So much so that it seemed both might die
Finally, the tyrant gave a fatal strike
Sharper than the tip of any sharpened spike
Before quickly moving in for the kill
The darkness in his heart powering his will
But luckily, prince was one step ahead
Delivering a blow showing nothing but red
Disarming the tyrant and making him fumble
As if he was a mountain about to crumble
With the last of his strength, the prince finished his foe
Throwing him into the flames that continued to grow
And he watched as the tyrant slowly fell
Along with his allies in the flames of hell
With the deed done, the prince reunited with his pride
All of whom looked upon him with pride
And greeted them all and shared in their joy
Something he missed since being a mere boy
As the rain poured down form the cloud filled sky
The prince felt his heart soar ever so high
Happy that he had decided to return
And the one who betrayed him would forever burn
With renewed vigor, he went to his throne
Something that seemed smaller now that he was grown
And gave an explosive deafening roar
One that went on a never-ending soar
As the pride roared with him, they burst with rejoice
Even as the rain made their fur moist
Knowing that their nightmare had finally ended
Presenting the chance for old relations to be mended
And the pride knew that no matter what
Regardless of any hurdle would have them stuck
Or what kind of challenges the world would bring
They finally had their rightful sphinx king
