Hell is empty and all the devils are here.
There is a man among us
who struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
leading others who listen blindly.
His words, a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
signifying nothing that is truth.
What is past is prologue.
Poets shouldst therefore heed the Bard,
his timeless words meaningful yet today.
There have been many great men
that have flattered the people who ne’er loved them.
But how is one to label this man as great?
Perhaps in the way of Satan’s greatness
controlling some, luring others.
After all, the devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
Oh what men will dare to do!
Let no such man be trusted.
What of those who follow, whose integrity be lost?
Lawless are they that make their wills their law.
There’s small choice in rotten apples.
In these chaotic times,
what is our fate, my friends?
It is not in the stars to hold our destiny
but in ourselves.
For each of us can add to the light,
hold our candle high in windows across the land.
One will become many, and many become a multitude.
In light’s refraction, his rabid followers stagger.
They shall greet fear in their mirror.
Positions no longer secure
as multitudes greet them shouting “SHAME”.
Truthtellers stand in solidarity,
voices raised, we cannot be ignored.
THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE!
The Bard penned:
And so, from hour to hour, we ripe and ripe,
And then, from hour to hour, we rot and rot;
And thereby hangs a tale.
Loud enough, persistent enough, we must be the solution.
Hands that right the scales of Justice.
We must take control of the tale.
Destiny be in our hands.
Written for Tuesday Poetics at dVerse, the virtual pub for poets around the globe. Today Merril hosts and asks us to consider fate. She suggests we could, for example, consider Frost’s or Shakespeare’s words on fate. I’ve chosen to refer to the Bard himself, within my poem. All of the bolded lines are quotations from Shakespeare. Let the Bard speak to you in these chaotic times!
All images except the scales of Justice are from recent demonstrations I’ve participated in. The scales of Justice image is from Pixabay.com
lillian the home poet 
Great work, Lill. I like the clever way you interwove Shakespeare’s words from the past with events from the present, summed up so well in these lines:
‘There is a man among us
who struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
leading others who listen blindly.
His words, a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
signifying nothing that is truth.’
History keeps repeating itself. If only humans would learn from the past. He is only one man. He can be overcome by the majority.
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I like the way you wove in Shakespeare’s words. Of course, he had to be careful of is words and portrayals. I wonder if he could imagine having the choice to vote for a president and then people choosing such corruption? UGH!
Thank you for protesting! We missed Saturday here, since we were with family. There was a big one in Philadelphia, and I know lots going on in Boston with the anniversary of the the two lanterns in Old North Church. And I read Heather Cox Richardson’s speech. No Kings, indeed!!
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Very powerful and well written, Lillian. I have heard that it is not the lies that deceive us, but the lies wrapped with a smidgen of truth!
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Hi Lillian, this is brilliantly executed and painful to read. Hugs.
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Mmmmmmmmm….really, really worked..enjoyed it very much, beautifully done, relevant, clever, pertinent…but again, very clever…
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It does make sense that Shakespeare has a lot of things to tell us, anyone who behaves like a king needs be compared to the bad kings before….
I just checked the declaration of independence, and it is interesting to see how much that is written there about the king of Great Brittain that today may apply to him
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I love the writing process, of integrating the Bard’s lines into your own. Seems like Fate is at it again. Love at how we can control our destiny if we really work at it.
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“It is not in the stars to hold our destinybut in ourselves.For each of us can add to the light,hold our candle high in windows across the land.One will become many, and many become a multitude.In light’s refraction, his rabid followers stagger.They shall greet fear in their mirror.Positions no longer secureas multitudes greet them shouting “SHAME”.Truthtellers stand in solidarity,voices raised, we cannot be ignored.THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE!”
Brava, Lillian!
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Excellent!
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