. . . begins tomorrow, and that is not an April Fool. If I spend any significant amount of time indoors (a lot depends on the weather and the gardens) I hope to post poems in April, in honor of that high art which is rapidly becoming extinct in our retrograde, dumbed-down American culture.
While a number of my favorite 20th century poets are still under copyright so that I cannot reprint their entire poems, I can go back to my all-time most beloved of all poets and authors of drama—The Old Bard, himself. His writings are only exceeded by the Holy Bible. The Bible being God’s Word will always rank number one in ageless truth, but after that comes a human author who speaks universally to the human heart and psyche like none other. If this author were required reading at every level of every public and private school, there quite possibly would be no need for the “science” of psychology to attempt the unraveling of human nature.
Marry the factor of universality to the most exquisite use of language, and you have William Shakespeare. I believe that the works of Shakespeare—as well as those of Milton and other past literary giants, plus artists and composers—are living proof of the Creationist World View. It is pathetically obvious to anyone but the most deluded individual that mankind is not advancing with time!
Meanwhile, to jump-start National Poetry Month, here is Sonnet #64:
Note: Great poetry has more permanent staying power than even GORILLA GLUE! The line, “. . . weep to have that which it fears to lose.” has filled my heart and mind for as long as I can remember. (I was raised when Shakespeare was read in schools, and of course he was prominent on our bookshelves at home.)
