Shakespeare to the Rescue

Shakespeare to the Rescue

written by: Rose Anna Higashi

“You should watch King Lear,” I urge. “There are eleven film
Versions, including Ran, Akira Kurosawa’s adaptation of
The crazy old king as a delusional Samurai. And there must be
Shakespeare in the park summer festivals going on in Ashland
Or the Globe in Balboa Park. We need Shakespeare’s people
More than ever. They are our friends!”
“Why should I?” you ask. “That crap was written four hundred
Years ago. It’s long and boring,
And the so-called English language the actors
Will be speaking is impossible to understand.”
I won’t give up. “You’ll understand more than you think.
If the actors are any good, they’ll help you feel your way
Through the play. All art speaks to the heart.
And besides, you need this. In this summer of horrors and lies,
We all need King Lear again. Close your eyes and listen.
Can you feel an ancient story unfolding, older than the Romans,
The Greeks and the Babylonians? A storm is gathering.
The Western Wind starts to howl. The mythic birds
Of suffering and cruelty swoop down from their rocky
Precipice to feast on the bones of starving children.
Smell the stench. Hear the sobs echoing through
The cataclysm. Open your eyes at last.
Look around you! An evil old king, lost, insecure,
Ignorant and demented, is trying to reverse the world.
Search through the downpour as through a dark
Mirror. See? He is surrounded by honey-tongued sycophants
Whose passions are influence, control and most of all gold!
The angels of love reach out, but he banishes them
Into the hurricane. Follow the shivering Fool who will lead you to
Edgar, the abandoned twin. Search through the deluge for the old
King’s scorned daughter, Cordelia. Reach out to her. Grasp her hand.
She is the angel Princess, barely visible in the mists. And if Kent
Approaches, seemingly insignificant, beg him to forgive your blindness,
And press on through the punishing maelstrom to rescue us all,
Even the foolish old king.”

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• About
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Rose Anna Higashi

Rose Anna Higashi is a retired professor of English Literature, Japanese Literature and Poetry. She lives in Honolulu with Wayne, her husband of sixty-two years with whom she has traveled the world. Rose Anna writes a haiku every day, and many of her haiku, tanka and lyric poems appear on her website, My Tea Planner, where her monthly blog, "Tea and Travels," is also published. Her poems have appeared on Poets Online, The Ekphrastic Review, America Media and other sites. The Editors of Poets Online recently nominated her poem, "The Last Time I Ate Meat" for the Pushcart Prize.

Latest posts by Rose Anna Higashi (see all)

• Shakespeare to the Rescue - September 26, 2025
• Poets and Scientists - June 3, 2025
• As Our Birthdays Loom - February 5, 2025