Shakespeare's Birthday Party
April 23rd

All the way from Verona
Romeo and Juliet arrived by coach
Shylock studied his Invitation Card
at the Rialto bridge and deemed it a joke.

Sailing up the Thames in her golden barge
with glorious purple sails, Cleopatra,
Queen of the Nile

Jolly fat man Falstaff
arrived with Prince Hal; the party's warming up,
becoming uproarious,
winking, looking at her rosy buds
thinking of corking her regal butt.

Hamlet and Ophelia chose the birthday cake
from Arbuthnots - 'To party or not to party!
that is the question,' was the message.

And Prospero and Ariel,
with charms and exotic words,
sprinkled some filament magic through the night.
Your revels proved an airy apple tree
through which a pigeon might fly -

Happy Birthday! William, from all your
characters and players.