That was really really good. The short sharp sentences make what's said really effective. The first stanza, with its three words per sentence capture your attention straight away and set a kind of jarring rhythm to the poem kind of like the pricks of a knife. The image of the king reminded me of a chessboard with the chess king surrounded and shouting orders, the other pieces trying to protect him. There were other really vivid images too like the first line Blood becomes currency. Loved it

I really like this poem. It's so well crafted. Everything is described so simply but strongly. A really great account of an unfortunate situation that has repeated throughout history.