My mother used to tell me, “All the world’s a stage
And you never know when your curtain will fall.”
When I got older I learned that
She had borrowed heavily from Shakespeare.
But the sentiment was still there.

Don’t be afraid to live, she was saying,
Because life is like a candle, always flickering.
There will be dim spots and bright spots,
But make sure you get all your work done
While the light is still shining.

Do you think Hamlet knew his plan would end in disaster?
Or was he just being overdramatic?
To be or not to be, are you afraid to live?
Or do you live because you’re afraid?
When does the curtain fall?

Do we borrow words because they sound better
Or because we’re afraid of our own?
We struggle against the winter of discontent
With our own band of brothers, never learning
That it’s the mind that makes the body rich.

But whether we’re the writers or the players
Or the audience or the shadows in the wings,
We are such stuff as dreams are made of
And so we try to give a memorable performance
Before the curtain falls.