My Home is my Castle

There was once a wealthy king
Who lived on the county green
In a tiny castle
which wasn't that supreme

He thought he was more important
And so with his own hands
Decided to design a castle
And make it really grand

He had more money than sense
And bought the finest bricks
Along with strong cement
That he himself would mix

But soon he'll see that wealth
Doesn't make things go as planned
Ignoring his surveyors
And shouting out demands

Now there also was a pauper
Who lived not far from him
Just across the river
Where often he would swim

The pauper who built his home
With what he could afford
And lots of careful planning
Where advice wasn't ignored

It was just one storey high
And wasn't very flash
Though a safe and secure structure
That didn't cost lots of cash

And because it was quite small
He finished it really fast
Unlike the rich king
And his castle by contrast

But the pauper when he noticed
Where the king decided to build
He heard alarm bells ringing
As the king wasn't very skilled

It was too close to the river
Where the ground there is so soft
And straight away he knew
His castle won't stay aloft

He decided to swim over
So he could warn the king
But the reception that he got
Wasn't very welcoming

The king who would just laugh
Told him to disappear
"My castle will be the grandest
In the hemisphere!"

The pauper turned and walked
As his feet sank in the sand
Gave up trying to be helpful
Offering to lend a hand

The king ordered his slaves
To lay out all the bricks
And use plenty of cement
So together they'd all stick

Quickly the structure would rise
Up towards the clouds
The king saw it was the grandest
And thus was very proud

But just as surveyors warned
And the pauper too
When foundations are not set
It can't be saved with glue

Everyone abandoned the castle
Except for just the king
And while sinking in the river
For his dear life he would cling

And a lesson learnt too late
With his workmanship
That without strong foundations
Captains go down with their ship