Dane Holt

---

---

Lord Brunswick

Two children pass a hat back and forth at the entry to a wood. It appears that whichever child has the hat, that child is Lord of the Manor. This soon becomes boring, though, no big deal. The children notice a man approaching, carrying a bowl. “This seems promising,” says the entry to the wood. In an obvious hurry, the man tells the children he may not be late. “The very Queen herself has demanded the bowl of stew I transport. My well-being, the continued well-being of my family, depends upon its successful delivery,” he says. “We’re well aware of the very Queen’s whims,” say the children. “Likewise, she has tasked us with passing this hat back and forth so that the Manor remains in possession of our rival families.” Then one child has a bright idea. She puts the hat onto the bowl of stew. “I guess the stew is Lord now,” she says. “Lord Brunswick,” says the other. The entry to the wood goes hungry.

---

---

---

---

DANE HOLT’s poems have appeared in The White Review, Poetry Ireland Review, The Trumpet, Stand, One Hand Clapping and elsewhere. He is poetry editor at The Tangerine, a Belfast magazine of new writing.