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