Sunday, July 15, 2018

101 Poems, Number 1


Favorite Poems Throughout My Life


1: “Our revels now are ended,” speech from The Tempest, 4.1, 1612, by William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

It’s Prospero who says these words—
The Tempest—what a play!
Among my favorites by the Bard—
I’d watch it every day.

It is a speech I memorized—
And back when I retired,*
I’d planned to say it to each class
As classroom time expired.

But (funny thing) when I began,
I stopped. It wasn’t fears.
No, I just could not say the words
Because of all the tears.

I didn’t even try that day
In classes later on:
I knew just what would happen then—
I’d try—and I’d be gone.

But I have tried to keep these words—
Rehearse them every week.
I might just, well, retire again—
And need to weep a creek!

*From Western Reserve Academy, June 2011

Link to lines.  I know from “Our revels now are ended” to “is rounded with a sleep.”

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