William

The muddled thoughts,
Welcome glimmers of inspiration,
And handsome turns of phrase
That cluttered your mind
As you turned home from the Globe,
Anxious to put pen to paper -
Could you have believed your written word
Would reverberate throughout the earth
For centuries hence?

The personages you plucked from history's page,
The characters you saw stumble through the ale house,
Your embodiments of human nature -
Did it seem likely that they would
Forever tread the boards of the world's stage?

The lines scrawled in a suitor's bliss,
The verbal gifts of affection and passion;
Thoughtlessly, you rendered tribute to friends and lovers -
Would you have thought your ink-laden pages
Should still make the millennial heart of the lover rise?

The echo of your step on the gravel paths of Stratford,
Scratching its way wearily to humble home -
Did you ever think that so many
Curious strangers and ardent lovers
Would follow the path to your door,
Seeking to find you, centuries too late?

Michael Coady © 1996