
“To thine own self, be true…”
Polonius, “Hamlet” Act 1, scene 3.
an April night
like any other, except
it’s the Bard’s birthday
“What of it, when scholars say
legions of monkeys will do?”
a starless sky
and the debate over his
relevance goes on
“What can Shakespeare say to us
that televised moon landings?”
Primetime
what sitcom today cannot
trace its roots to him?
“Vapid comedies, stilted
cliche-strung, passe rhetoric?”
Modern drama
which of his tragedies did
their writers not steal?
“what original thought did
that playwright bring to the stage?”
What language intensity
has another accomplished?
shattering sunrise
daggers and skulls before them;
rose for their dying
iambic pentameter
bringing characters to life
teary eyes
or a boistrous laugh, even
across centuries
That we still care to challenge
proves Shakespear’s relevance
A bow to the bard
then, on his birth and death day,
passing this new moon
that true to his legacy
we remain true to ourselves

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