To thee I send this written ambassage
By legal courier, registered mail
To show thee worthy of thy sweet respect
I cannot blame thee for my love
Thou usest with my best man
My second cousin, the pool boy, et. al.
I hated you
When it would have taken less courage
And been far less expense to love
Were I hard-favoured, foul or wrinkled old
Then mightest thou pause, for then I were not for thee
But having no defects, why dost abhor me?
I do forgive thy robb’ry, gentle thief
Of my home, my pension and full custody of the kids
Not all of whom appear like me
But I forbid thee one most heinous crime
Theft of our season tickets to the theatre
Kill me with spites, yet leave these alone
I feel shame that I was so innocent
All the things I had learned
Had been wasted
~ J. D. Mackenzie, Will Shakespeare & Charles Bukowski
Sources
Shakespeare
Sonnet 19
Sonnet 40
Venus and Adonis
Sonnet 26
Bukowski
As the Sparrow
My First Affair
Great combination of ancient and modern to lament the age old.
ReplyDeleteSo clever and such fun! Meshing a great tale from Will and Charles. Imagine taking the theatre tickets. Of course you don't have any defects. Everyone knows that. Last stanza is a little sad. Thanks for another tartan triumph.
ReplyDeleteArriverdeci
Absolutely terrific - I am amazed at how comprehensible you have made this motley collection of words.
ReplyDeleteQuite lovely, JD. The mix of old fashioned and modern speech doesn't jar. Fancy, even with the pool boy!
ReplyDeleteJDM
ReplyDeleteyou have meshed this together wonderfully!
Pamela
The third stanza was my fave. I love the Bukowski brusqueness combined with Shakespeare's overflowing romantic antics. Great job combining the two for a roller-coaster of emotions.
ReplyDeleteOh, bravo! A brilliant job of combining two completely different styles of writing so that a smooth and seamless poem has been created!
ReplyDelete