Yo, Shakey

Some pop songs repeat words words words
But Hamlet did it first (first first)
Some say music's for the birds
And Shakespeare is for nerds nerds nerds

But I say music feeds the soul
And Hamlet's part of that dear goal
His speeches are my vitamins
Without them death - it always wins

Well Hamlet's dead I guess that's true
But his words truly live through you
And through the plays you strive to read
You somehow satisfy a need

Else why read it? Why trudge through?
What do these ancient words pursue?
Look quite closely, then you'll see
Shakespeare knows what you can be

Some are Brutus or King Lear
or fathers poisoned in the ear
Some find love like Juliet
or like Ophelia get all wet

It doesn't matter who you are
These plays (it's true) can take you far
Venice, Denmark, England too!
They'll take you off to someplace new

But Shakespeare wrote these long ago
About today, what could he know?
A microwave he's never seen
Into a car he's never been

But human souls are quite the same
(He doesn't have to know your name)
His words can see into your heart
And he can tell you all apart

"Thinking makes it so" you see
The thoughts you have will come to be
So sing your life and sing it fierce!
(The latest hit from Britney Spears)

Sing the music of your life
And worry not about the strife
It passes - all is over soon
Immerse yourself into a tune

"The earth has music for those who listen"
So cover yourself with sounds that glisten
Let your heart shine with the sound
And spin yourself around and 'round

Dance your whole life 'fore it's gone
And know that your true self has shone
Let Shakespeare tell you what to do
Allow the beat to flow through you

Just give yourself to something pure
Today's hits or words that were
Trendy beats or classic songs
Will help you stay away from wrongs

So "keep it real" and stay so true
Find words that truly inspire you
Let them flow into your heart
The music of your life will start

And like a song your life will end
And on the way you must defend
The open hearts and honest wits
In dusty books and billboard hits.

...uhm...

Writer's block - the Muse away, it seems I have no words today.
I'm blocked - stopped up - no words will flow, and suddenly I'm filled with woe!
I can't write, I'll never write! My sentences seem so contrite.
I'll never write again I say! I don't know how; I've lost my way.
I'm no Shakespeare, I'm no Poe, I'm not sure how the words should go.
Devices do betray me now. Write a poem? I don't know how.

Alliteration always acts happily for poetic hacks.

Internal rhyme can earn a dime - but I don't want to waste your time.

I'd like to make a star's light wink, but then my floating heart would sink.

Personify the world I would! If I thought that that could do some good.

I want the words to flow like wind! (Then this poor simile I'd rescind.)

Metaphors are a broken mind, they don't know love from an orange's rind.

It's hopeless! I've no words to give, a silent life I'm forced to live.
Ol' Bill and Edgar had a skill, and I know that I never will.

Hamlet Hilarity

A Summary of Deaths in Hamlet

**SPOILER ALERT**

Hamlet Senior, in his ear,
Is poisoned by his brother dear.

Hamlet aims to kill himself,
But puts his dagger on the shelf.

Ophelia finds her heart so sick
That she must drown her sorrows quick.

Polonius hides - but to be found,
And he dies too, with little sound.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern,
An unseen death those two did earn.

And good ol’ Gertie drinks the drink
That makes her never have to think.

Laertes seems to get the point,
His sister’s fate and his is joint.

Claudius is stabbed upfront,
(the sword, though used, is not yet blunt).

And Hamlet, from both sword and drink,
Into the world of death does sink.

And so we see the games they play,
A player’s life not always gay,
Bound to die night after night,
Each night to stab and feel contrite.
And will it end, Act 5 scene 2?
Or does the onus fall on you?
Will you fight against the hate,
Or let it grow, perpetuate?
Take an eyeball for an eye?
Make a liar always die?
One death, it often births some more,
So if you wish your soul to soar,
Give up your vengeance and your pain,
And let your mercy be your gain.