Shakespeare and the Internet

By Bud Koenemund

A bit of serious silliness in the name of my friend, teacher,
and Master sonneteer, Mr. William Shakespeare.

If ‘twere true I did actually say
But half the shite attributed to me
With Internet memes, the count of my plays
Would blossom from 38 to 50.
Although I invented some two thousand
Words and phrases – simply plucked from thin air –
And our language by my hand did expand,
I beg thee friends, cease, keep peace, and forbear
To disgrace my work with thy online faults;
Rather, praise the right author’s creation,
And spare my reputation these assaults,
Which in the soul engender frustration.
   I wish a plague upon those who would dare
   Disturb my genius with such prose impaired.

You Say You Want a Revolution?

By Bud Koenemund

For the tired, the poor, the huddled masses.

Despite the wishes of those in power,
This revolution will be televised.
The poor; sick; starving masses who cowered,
Will no longer accept a genocide
Of economic strangulation, while
Beings who possess so much continue
Demanding more – even as they revile
Souls suffering in need. Flesh and sinew
Will awaken; spirits rise ‘bove contempt;
The angry will be heard; the hungry fed,
And homeless housed when we find redemption
In helping others ‘long a path all tread.
   This world will emerge, better than it was,
   When every man’s fate becomes our cause.