#Shakespeare

SHAKESPEARE AND THANKSGIVING

 

 

I love family traditions…but with a blended family and only so much time in any holiday…we decided…when we blended…to celebrate our holidays in untraditional ways.

 

I believe if William Shakespeare was alive today he’d find a way to spin it…he’d say, ‘these traditions of yours be madness…yet there is a method in it.’

 

Take Thanksgiving for instance…it’s a holiday as a family we love to celebrate…but we don’t often come together on the exact Thanksgiving date.

 

Though many families will be celebrating Thanksgiving today…our celebration won’t commence until we get together Sunday…if you’re keeping track…that’s three days hence.

 

Shakespeare…never a playwright to shy away from twist or change…might agree by saying, ‘This is certainly different…but it is also wondrous strange.’

 

Come this Sunday, when our family gets together…when we open up our doors…there will be lots of sides for the vegetarians…and meat for the carnivores.

 

And even though we will be celebrating our Thanksgiving…not today…but three days after…our house will be filled with hugs and kisses…with stories…with smiles and laughter.

 

And we’ll take some time to think about our ancestors…and living relatives who for their own reasons are unable…to make it home this Thanksgiving and sit around our table.

 

For here’s a simple fact every parent of ever family has found…as our children and grandchildren grow up…it gets more difficult to gather them around.

 

So this Sunday will be giving thanks with whatever family is in the room…and with all those who can’t make it home…we’ll call…perhaps we’ll Zoom.

 

We’ll be giving thanks we have a family for everyone to come home to…and we’ll be giving thanks for traditions…the old ones…and the new

 

I imagine if Shakespeare was alive today…he’d go on Facebook, Instagram…or perhaps he’d even Tweet:

‘That which we call Thanksgiving…on any other day…would taste as sweet.’

 

 

View joy's Full Portfolio

SHAKESPEARE CONVENTION

 

(a waka in 7 lines)

 

The Shakespeare Convention

       has been canceled

                out

 

    & replaced

       with a kung fu/judo

               matinee

     featuring Bruce Lee & Sonny Chiba



 

View georgeschaefer's Full Portfolio

SHAKESPEARE MADE SENSE

 

Now I’m in trouble

again

for going to a museum

in New York

with a girl

that’s dating someone else

It was actually

a pretty harmless affair

platonic thru & thru

and at the risk

of plagiarizing Shakespeare

I’d say the whole thing

Is much ado about nothing

I won’t even get into

her relationship

with her boyfriend

which isn’t a very good one

which is being very kind

one thing

experience has taught me

is that when two people

so obviously incompatible

insist on being together

my best course of action

is to remain silent

and far away from the action

my words would have no impact

and I don’t really want

to get stuck in the middle of it

 

7-26-95

 

 

View georgeschaefer's Full Portfolio

Shakespeare In The Park

When one doth perchance to partake of Shakespeare in the park

verily he feels himself a rogue…alone…amiss

For ‘tho he hath found himself truly nourish’d by the play…

He is loathe to discover his calamity…

to speak like this.

 

He mayeth stop at yonder McDonalds on his journey home…

his desire: to order a quaff to quench his thirst

and fie, fie drive away with nothing but his scorn

when the stewed prune behind the counter thinks him accursed.

 

He, may, perchance, bite his thumb at thee

or call thee a most notable coward…a lowly philistine

He may say, “away you dried neat’s tongue…you three-inch fool”

Forsooth…without knowing what the words he spoke doth mean.

 

Pray, pardon he, if consum’d he be

to playeth his sweet Alexa ’til the break of dawn,

crying out in discordant harmony…

if music be the food of love

play on…

forsooth play on.

 

And when he finally retires for the e’en…

ready to woo so into his bed he leaps…

he behold’st the object of his affection,

his fair maiden…

the one he woos…

hath fallen fast asleep!

 

Fear not, when thy spy yonder person under such a spell!

Strain not the quality of thy mercy..but hark!

Alas, do not think him vile or mad…again fear not…

he is but a knave…

 

who forgot to leave his Shakespeare in the park.


View joy's Full Portfolio

7/31/14

Folder: 
One Poem Every Day

Shakespeare

Your language demonizes

Despairs

And delights

Delicious morsels of words

Fly off my tongue

And catapult through my ears

Landing in my welcoming brain

I love your language

It wraps me in its web

Of intertwining word play

The Bard is my savior

Save me from our modern linguistic tradegy

Of abbreviations

And slurs

Take me into the cocoon

Of your beautiful verse.

Author's Notes/Comments: 

Third entry of one poem a day! I wrote this on July 31, 2014. It was inspired by my Shakespeare Styles class and how much I love Shakespeare.

View cowardly.lioness's Full Portfolio