For King Charles I of England
On the day I asked for a second shirt
So my people would not see me shiver
In the cold breeze blowing from the river
And think me afraid to die or be hurt
On that scaffold above the mud and dirt,
Or mistake chill for a lily liver
As if from my maker I would dither,
Too weak in spirit with dark fate to flirt.
But looking down on a sea of faces
I had no need of extra covering,
For kind hearts warmed me through those last paces
And I forgave the axe man hovering;
Then as a lost soul his way retraces
I turned towards home without wavering.
David Subacchi lives in Wales where he was born of Italian roots. He studied at the University
of Liverpool and he has 4 published collections of his English Language poetry First Cut (2012),
Hiding in Shadows (2014), Not Really a Stranger (2016) and A Terrible Beauty (2016). His work
has also appeared in numerous literary magazines and anthologies. You can find out more about David and his work at https://www.writeoutloud.net/pr
