A Merry Fool

Modern poetry modern verse contemporary poetry contemporary verse modern poem contemporary poem

“The merry month of May”

“The glory in the flower” ~ Wordsworth

So, Shakespeare wrote of glory of a man

(Act 2, scene 2) in “What a piece of work”

(And so on) but he failed to note the fan

Of glory in a peony.  This quirk

Is quite forgivable since Will was just

A man and had no peony essence

Within him.  He was dust from dust to dust.

He lacked the blossoming incandescence

Of peonies in bloom (poor thing).  In fact

The images we have him all say

That he was ugly (poor, poor thing).  No tact

Can hide that truth.  That truth unfrilled holds sway.

  He should have had a peony inside

    His soul and sung a hymn pink Maytime wide.

©  Phillip Whidden