Emperor of a frozen domain

*The newspaper headlines
and the TV newscast
pour blood onto my kitchen table.
It’s unmistakable odor
Mixing with coffee and toast.
Has it always been like this?
A world of dark shadows
with ****** and hatred
hiding in every dark alley.
Take me back to innocence
Where childish pastimes
took me through simpler shadows.
Where damage was recoverable.
Born of lost loves and things
I left undone.
And even shadows
grew paler over time.
I now sit among coffee
and armchairs.
Enthroned over a frozen land.
Old and frail.
The emperor of a frozen domain.