All The World's A Stage by Snowing Kisses at All poetry

People knew my name.
.I think its Jack...
Or Daniel maybe?
No wait...that's just the name of my only friend.
Daniels..Jack Daniels...
The friend of drunks and failures

They surrounded me..
Adoration echoed my footsteps
They called my name
Wait it will come back to me
Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him well
A victim of the fiery spell

Upon the stage..beneath the lights
I drew breath from empty hearts
Wove romance into tattered tapestries
They laughed and wept along with me
And when Juliette forgot my name
Liquid lies lay beside my pain

Romeo, Romeo, where for art thou Romeo?
Languishing in my self- made hell
Once this was my land of plenty
Oh dying dreams...the bottles empty
And the only person sitting in the audience
Is a shadow of my former self
Clutching a battered programme

It has a picture of the leading actor
Smiling out at the world
He looks vaguely familiar...
And I want to call his name
Hey...loser...drunk...bum..
Did Titania tell the boorish Bottom
To take a hike backstage?

All the world's a stage?
Perhaps...or perhaps its just
An empty shell
A box of big fat failure
No nice surprises in this packet
Just a handful of whiskey infused fantasies

Applaud this grand finale my friend
The Drunk's demise...the tragic end

Comments

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By me, right now

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Wutz Luv
6 hours ago
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"I drew breath from empty hearts
Wove romance into tattered tapestries". These lines really captured me. Hitting rock bottom is taking to the bottle, I hit that stage this year, then it just disappeared , seemed my mind thought it's what I needed to do, then it didn't thank god. I can relate to the pain in this piece. I'm a big fan of Romeo and Juliet, named my dogs after them lol. Well written. Much love
MichaelLeeSmyth
6 hours ago
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It is always to wonder how much pain and anguish the artist suffers through, forever in doubt of their talent, searching for sycophants, glad handers and yes men.
Getting worse and worse at what you were once best at......I wonder how many of us can see something of ourselves within this.
Peace

Told ya I'd send it.
Mark Harrap
November 15
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oh my
i'm out of my depth ... this is way too good for my humble opinions to do justice to , think i'll just get your autograph and move to the back of the crowd ... brilliant brilliant poetic skill
Dael Gabriel
November 11

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OUCH!!! but what an ouch!!!
A someone who has obsessed and maybe played with a problem with the sauce - my this poem hurt and made me smile with self knowing... a verse with Vladimir the valiant Vizir of vibrant vodka could have been a contributory verse of mine. I feel like lapsing into verse... perhaps i shall

Thanks!!!
JToddUnderhill
November 2

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Most....
...... Amazing write. I think I lived this poem at a time in my life when I sang for a rock band. I can't remember because of Jimmy and Jack making things all hazy but I felt this poem greatly!
dino e
November 1

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i only have three words for this piece ... W...O...W...
IronIcecream
October 31
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nah
the world's a stage
people wouldn't be trying to act otherwise
- Snowing Kisses
  October 31
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  thanks....this is different for me lol
- - IronIcecream
    October 31
    
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    sadly free will resumes to the diversity of masks hanging in the foyer
    alcohol between other acrylics paints (or seems to paint) them more personal
SteveS
October 28

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The message here is clear and sad for those in the predicament of failure due to alcoholism. The pain of addiction and it's consequence is very well translated. I'm not ok with Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet, etc. being quoted, especially without quotation marks!..yet I do see the impact you create referencing that scene where Hamlet considers the fate of us all when he compares the skull of his child friend to those still living. I'm big on commas where needed, like after "Wait" in line 10. I feel is unnecessary to strain a reader to figure out pauses, even if it's easy to figure out. Poetry without proper punctuation, in my opinion, is like music written without rests. Your ending lands well as a dramatic summary.
Camille Morin
October 28

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This is a wonderfully written, insightful explication of the inevitable loss of self respect of an alcoholic. Even the language you use suggests that thick-tongued, pathetic attempt to show intelligence to an empty audience. Lots of dimension in the character you have created. I enjoyed reading this.

Sincerely,
Camille Morin
Synchronicity
October 28

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The curtain's close
Having read some Shakespeare and revelled in his style of word play, I did enjoy how you described the "world stage" as a "box of big fat failure". I feel like Shakespeare might say something like that in today's vernacular. However, this is a tragic piece, with tragedy more punctuated by the actor's personal failure coinciding with his final performance. This is a very dramatic presentation for a dramatic story, and the end lines are so well-fitted to the curtain's close.
wbiro
October 24

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lol Jack Daniels... right off the bat... yes, alcoholism... and its ruinous effects, that fits the picture nicely... nice actor/stage backdrop, illustrates the sad state of the entertainment industry... (or has it always been like that?) a Shakespearean actor, no less... so what drove him to drinking, I wonder... ah, Juliette... he should accept that it just didn't 'click' and move on...
janeofdreams
October 22

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This is a good take on this man's sorrow. I liked the way you wove Shakespeare throughout this tragic "life on the stage". You painted some fantastic images that spanned centuries and brought in the present with "Jack Daniels". I thought the interpretation of the light as a stage light was very creative. Certainly in the end, this man's despair was no act.
hezakiah
October 22

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Cool.
This is great. Since I am not so literary sagacious, I didn't recognize that all of the character references were from Shakespeare's works. I'm glad that I waited to comment until after the previous one!
I'm glad for the first stanza and especially the first line, as I needed it for introduction; setting the stage (haha) for me to get the whole theme of the washed up actor. Thanks. Mary
- Snowing Kisses
  October 22
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  tHANKS FOR A GREAT COMMENT...Im not really a shakespere buff...I had to check on google for bottom and titania...but in england we are kind of force fed shakespere in high school....it tends to stick lol.....
  anyhow thanks your comments mean a lot
  T
just2write
October 22

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captivating...
You did a great take on this poem. The lines are rich and full with imagery. It is a compelling read. The actor seems to be waiting for the morning reviews of Opening night. Only this show is closing down. So sad. You manage to write this in a way that we feel pity for him, and we know that he is almost at rock-bottom. This is an excellent entry, my friend. You have some punctuation, so I will assume that you want it in:
Romeo[,] Romeo[,] where for art thou, [Romeo]

self made ===> self-made
I loved your many references to Shakespeare's works - Alas[,] poor Yorick I knew him well (Hamlet) And you got in two of his his leading ladies as well - Juliet and Titania
"All the Worlds [world's] a stage" from Hamlet.
this poem is laced with beauty of the Bard, and like many of his writes it is full with tragedy.
The last couplet is the perfect ryhmng couplet for this poem.
Best of luck to you.
paul claxton
October 22

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in my limmited experience id say ur real gud .this is so real and fun, nice 1
- Snowing Kisses
  October 22
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  Thanks so very much for such an indepth comment..rally valuable...and for the punctuation tips...consider em heeded lol,,
  thanks again
  T
- Snowing Kisses
  October 22
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  Thanks Paul....this is different for me...for a contest..it had really strict requirments...phew twas hard work lol....thanks for the lovely comment
  btw folks round hhere mostly call me T
  T
spideracer
October 22

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The title of this piece doesn't give away the wonderfull poetry to come, and although you have a line in their that seems a little intentional from the past , such as ''Romeo Romeo where for art thou Romeo?'' Still you captivate your readers to the point of wonderment, for here be a poem rich in imagery, a poem full of wonderfull emotions yet there is an underlying sadness here, of ones marrage with the bottle of temptation. And as for the Shakespear line, I'm sure he'd be very proud of you for adding it here in your poem. Take care and thanks for sharing.
Jake D Bullet
October 21

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My first impression of this piece was that I was going to hate it. It started out feeling contrived to me. It was as if I was about to be told a bad joke. But it caught my interest, so I read it again, this time pretending the first stanza didn't exist. I then loved it. It became fresh for me. Rather than being held captive at the end of the bar by a drunk loser, I was captivated by the sad tale of your failed bard. To be fair, this is only my humble opinion and my own words could never roll so sweetly as your own. So please, do not take offense when I say this, but I found this to be far more appealing as starting out, "They surrounded me..."
- Snowing Kisses
  October 21
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  Thanks for a great and indepth comment...its very much appreciated
  T
twelfthknight
October 20

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I really enjoyed this It is so interesting how one photo can inspire so many different poems. I loved your creative take on the picture prompt and I loved the lines from Shakespear woven into it just great! Best of luck in the group contest
- Snowing Kisses
  October 20
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  thanks so much for your lovely comments...much appreciated
  T
Nom de Plume
October 20

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you final couplet closes this out wonderfully... indeed the bottle does cripple... theres only one o in loser...and you referenced my most favourite drink, gotta love the JD's... wish you luck in this challenge
- Snowing Kisses
  October 20
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  Thanks so much...and for the advice on the typo also
  T