A palace of jagged, broken stone

 Courtiers come and courtiers go
Kings have ruled before our own
Rulers come and rulers go
Courtiers remain walking these halls
Weeping crying aching halls
You can maintain what must be fixed
Repair the damage caused by time
You cannot repair the memories, trapped
Within the walls, within the sides
Within this palace of jagged, broken stone
Death and birth and cycles all
Nothing remains the same
The only constant in this life is change
Change in heart and mind and soul
Change in culture that changes woe
What's happy now could be later sad
Death was once celebrated as a stepping stone
To a life beyond what we currently have
Now death is feared and souls it hurt
This kingdom's death was fast approaching
Till our king united the lost souls
But I still firmly believe
Soon this kingdom we'll be mourning
Day and night I entertain
Guests that come and go
Everyone's here for their own gain
I've come to find my predecessor's notes
I agree with what he said
On principle anyways
But his points require refining
For every human interaction is built off of an exchange
It's humanity's trait - most defining
Dread the concept or from it run
Or hide within lies woven like silk
Silk which money bought
Within which comfort you feel
Comfort you share with those around you
Comfort from one another we all leech
Everything is transactional
Nothing remains the same
Change is inevitable
No hand will forever claim
You must transact all that you own and will own
Whether through trade or inheritance
This kingdom will be transacted too
Once the heir prince grows in cognizance
A newborn come to view the world
I hope I remain alive once he takes root
I hope that in his hands we see someone rule
Altruism is falsehood without substance
The king's attempts to win the souls of the youth
Through his constant providement of their daily sustenance
Food for the body, but where's the soul's food
Questions only I dare to ask
Me, the court's fool
I'll play my role and play it well
I'll rule the souls of those that dare come knock
My door welcomes all that wish to learn
For that's how I was brought up among them all
Once I was a teacher
I studied and taught what once did happen
Humans are such peculiar creatures
Kind when few, horrific in masses
Religion brings comfort to the soul
But religion alone is but a balm, not medicine
You must provide the root cause
With guidance and direction
Learn the old to seek the new
Become more than what you are
That's what I will always preach
At least to those who dare travel as far
As my room remains within the palace
Servant among servants aplenty, abound
The queen does her best to keep our hearts sated
But the queen cannot hear what makes no sound
Jagged, the walls and stones are broken
From within and from without
They witness it all without uttering a word
Their pain is witnessed by none around
I am the archivist of their cries
Their silent aching, those white-painted walls
I know that covering layers under new layers
Begets nothing but pain and woe
I see this kingdom for what it is
I see it bare barren true
I see the world within which I once lived
Shackled within lies hidden with clues
I am free of the shackles that bind them
I am free to think and dream
Those who believe that the world is theirs to hold
Will never amount to much, even kings and queens
Ours know they live in lavish opulent luxury
But know they serve the people all the same
I spit on this world that demands such vanity
For without it they appear weak to they who dare
Not once must we forsake our leaders
But our leaders need to learn that its our needs they serve
Once history becomes self-servient
Our doom is not far behind our leaders' death
Unless the heir is righteous too
Unless the cycle can be broken
Unless the heir can listen to the noises
Of the stone that's in here aching
Nothing will change and it'll get worse
Our king is repairing what he can but he's only slowing
The death brought upon by a class of wealth
The ego that begets pride
Which begets wars in of itself
Expand your vanity all you want
Human you'll reunite with dirt
From the earth and back to her
From her we're born
And to her they all went
And all will follow and all will go
Death is the final change
Live to break the cycle of building all you can
Learn to build for others too
Others as in not your kin
Others as in the world anew
I am a follower of my kind
I leave this note for whoever comes next
The chronicles of the court's teacher-fool
I hope isn't something they'll dare forget