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Writer's pictureStephen Kingsnorth

Blokes

After “Sonnet 129” by William Shakespeare




Uneasy page for any age,

as ethics swirl in gender’s plea,

the more, permissive uncaged stage,

our terms transformed, LGBT,

with Q, plus questions followed, delved.

As powers hold, castle keep, Kafka

and Dewey triggers volumes shelved,

near bonfire, Alexandria,

abuse of folk and fears awoke.

When self-confessed loss of control,

how stands the mastery of bloke -

from hinterland, man-kind blamed rôle?

Today Will’s witness words assured,

that social media storm procured.



Sonnet 129 by Shakespeare


Th' expense of spirit in a waste of shame

Is lust in action; and till action, lust

Is perjured, murd'rous, bloody, full of blame,

Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust,

Enjoyed no sooner but despisèd straight,

Past reason hunted; and, no sooner had

Past reason hated as a swallowed bait

On purpose laid to make the taker mad;

Mad in pursuit and in possession so,

Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme;

A bliss in proof and proved, a very woe;

Before, a joy proposed; behind, a dream.

All this the world well knows; yet none knows well

To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.

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3件のコメント


John Wood
John Wood
7月09日

Great response! Love the "dig, survey, stop work for tea". The notes help, thank you. Hope "clock off" isn't a euphemism. Well, no, on second thoughts I don't. That would make for an even better final line. . .

いいね!

John Wood
John Wood
7月06日

Perplexed 😉


Uneasy read, obscure indeed,

Where curious references abound;

To where do Kafka's castles lead?

What fire in Alexandria's found?

Many a student might be vexed

Should Will be ditched and Kingsnorth's verse

Become an English Lit set text -

A step, some'd say, from bad to worse!


I understand the Bard's distrust

Of promised heaven, and that he

Is wary of the sin of lust

But not whether your parody

Is lauding or condemning Woke

Or where you stand or who's the Bloke.

いいね!
返信先

Road Bumps

 

My poems tend to pidgin style,

in English lingo, but curtailed,

for as compacting wordy terms,

it’s apt for gaps.  When definite,

assume the reader telegrams,

inserts the tetragrammaton,

the word unspoken, but known there,

a gap in line, but owned by them,

or to be frank, the article.

As in France, wanting bread, I said

une pain s’il vous plait; she made plain,

with quiver lip, this tourist pain,

un pain, as if a crime, but knew,

and took my cash, baguette in hand.

 

So play along and act your part,

as hear the poser, apron tied,

and give reply, whatever tide.

Why should the stage work entertain,

without response from that fourth wall -


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