King of Swords Spell
Two trees converge in a forest, cold.
One’s full of daggers,
the other fruiting stares, bold.
The garden of good-evil and evil-good
bears all types of secrets from my childhood.
I'm aware.
My coat of arms I no longer bear
nor my family crest of shame.
I'm not here to blame.
It's just a stupid game.
And, honestly, it's all a bit insane.
How did it get to this?
Goodnight hugs and kisses
are no longer things of blisses.
Your babies become your lovers?
Your perpetrator is your mother?
And your pharmacist is your father?
Druggin' instead of huggin'.
They’re in the basement recording porn
instead of watching movies with popcorn.
Roller rink and disco balls.
Secret bedroom with thick walls.
Snoopy snowcones, lemonade stands.
Sloppy kisses and filthy hands.
Secret slips of hands inside thighs.
A childhood paradise
they would forever eroticize.
Girls, interrupted. Boys, corrupted.
Fractured memories forever confronted.
SHUT THE FUCK UP, you little brat!
A push, a hug, a pinch, a head pat.
Spit, blood, tears, immortal combat.
Babies rocked and sung lullabies,
Muffled screams and smothered cries.
Let us never forget all the lies.
All that lies…
Lights, cameras, action!
Rock a bye, baby, on the treetop.
You'll kill me, maybe. Your control wouldn't stop.
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock.
The horrors, they necrose. My amygdala, in constant shock.
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall.
My babies you couldn't take. So I left it all.
And down will come baby, cradle and all.
My body told me. Now your cardboard castle will fall.
Rock a bye baby, gently you swing,
Off with your hands, lady! And his head, I'll bring.
Over the cradle, Mother will sing,
A Rhesus monkey's ladle, no comfort could she bring.
Sweet is the lullaby over your nest
Upon your blood and bones I'll ingest.
That tenderly sings my baby to rest.
No love could live inside these chests.
From the high rooftops, down to the sea
Nothing but drops and chops upon me.
No one's as dear as baby to me
An extension of yins is all I'd be.
Wee little hands, eyes shiny and bright
Diving boards and the mermaid's eyes
Now sound asleep until morning light
3 am and I'm wide awake with fright.
Rock a bye baby, on the tree top,
I've made peace with it all; I'm feeling tiptop.
When the wind blows the cradle will rock.
I'm King of my world and there's no need to gawk.
When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,
I'm as light as Grandpa's bowling ball.
And down will come baby, cradle and all.
So much to consume and now I digress.
I'm ready to move forward and digest after my rest.
Can you believe that I'm a success?
Or, are you still trying to win, without even a heart beating in your chest?
Now, what of the old kingdom do you choose to recall?
I can choose to remember the good or nothing it all.
Let's build a new castle out of the crumbled wall.
The curse is broken with this windfall.
I'm cool as a pool in the middle of fall
and this breeze is delightful after such a heavy squall.
I’m cool as a pool in the middle of fall
and this breeze is so delightful after such a heavy squall.
LIGHT: COMMANDING, CONCISE, LEADER, TRUTH-SEEKER
DARK: INDIFFERENT, CRUEL, PROJECTING FAILURES ONTO OTHERS
The leader of the Swords Court cards is here. The King of Swords has a commanding presence and rules without emotion getting in the way. A seeker of truth, this important person shows up in a reading when you need to think with your head instead of your heart. Keep those emotions in check even if terrible things are happening all around you and you’re having big feelings. It’s much easier to consider the consequences of your actions now than have to apologize for your cruelty and thoughtlessness later. Consider being disciplined in your emotional state with others so you can make wise choices founded on reason instead of feeling.
Astrological Affiliation(s): Libra, Gemini, Aquarius
In this scenario, you’re a Bearded Vulture relaxing with your cocktail of blood and bones. Feeling pretty calm, cool, and collected, you have no trouble completing a task such as overtaking the throne even if it means you had to do something unthinkably cruel to get there. Most Kings would feel a little badly drinking the blood of their victim, but you’re just chilling and even happy about it. Have you made a mask out of your predecessor’s head or are you just playing pretend? Is it both? However, if the past actions of the ones you overtook were even more egregious, you would see your actions as just. Your shadow side is that you can be indifferent to others’ emotions and have trouble with projecting your own faults onto others. You can also manipulate the feelings of others in order to get yourself happy or to a more powerful position. Overall, people come to you for an impartial viewpoint of their problem and you provide clear and concise solutions instead of emotional baggage and unwanted advice. Your confidence is admirable as is your ability to see things as they are. Although you are very aware of others’ motives, you aren’t paranoid about them. You base your decisions on fact and observation instead of obsessing about what everyone else feels. Don’t forget to show your own feelings every once in awhile. It’s okay to smile. It doesn’t make you weak. You’re so unbothered now about the triggers that used to destroy you that you’re using them as support instead of destruction. The noose no longer chokes you or provokes you because you’ve resolved those past unhealed wounds and moved on from the hurt they’ve caused so much so that you’re finally able to relax and be the king you were born to be.
Eight’s Insight:
Dysfunctional Family Role(s): The Narcissistic Father, The Workaholic, The Critic, The Island
Although it can be refreshing to have a father figure who keeps his emotions in check and doesn’t have a hot temper, it can also be just as difficult to have a father who seems coldly indifferent to your needs if they’re not part of his own. When you don’t have yourself under control, you tend towards controlling those around you. You can present yourself as The Narcissist Father who uses his children as his pawns. Or, perhaps you hide from your emotions by being obsessed with your work and besides bringing home a paycheck you don’t provide any fatherly support. Further still, your predisposition to being perceptive can come across as uber-critical, shaming others for their faults instead of working on your own or even admitting you have any at all. If you keep your emotions completely out-of-sight, you could even be The Island….all alone, unhappy, and pining for something you’ll never find: acceptance of yourself.