If all the world's a stage, my dear

Contrived words in scripted scenes

Voice and thought directed, my dear

Exit stage left, and follow your dreams

 

The lady doth protest, my dear

Maybe an unworthy cause

There before you, your future, my dear

Dominate life, act without a pause

 

If music be your food, my dear

Allow lovers' tunes to play

Object to pizzicato, my dear

Grasp the bow, and sashay away

 

A Rose by any name, my dear

A joy, soft, sweet, perfumed

Beware those daggered thorns, my dear

You’ll be unbled, your whole life consumed

 

What glistens is not always gold, my dear

False-loving smiles are uninvited

Behind closed doors, the truth, my dear

Harsh words spoken, your essence blighted

 

A man can die but once, my dear

A woman shrinks at every jibe

Hitch up your skirt and flee, my dear

Away, on the fast ebbing tide

 

There are many more things, my dear

in heaven and earth to witness

Uniquely you, yourself, my dear

Find love, not its antithesis.