Truth is I'm a prince among princes
with my own bit of a dukedom herabouts
but my betters keep saying I'm a lizard,
a common reptile that understands nothing.
And I love the young princess, the way
she steps from the helicopter to bless
with her smile the disabled children
and cut the ribbon on the new hypermarket.
Otherwise my life is bad Danté, brown rice
or acupuncture, or waiting in the takeaway
for an order of dropped duck and noodles,
playing Defend Cities till it kills me.
