i watched Hamlet

i watched Hamlet. 

before his death he wondered how to be or not to be! 

Claudius killed Hamlet's father, 

then he married the widowed mother, ex-wife of his brother. 

and i wondered if there were no other plots possible for Shakespeare?

or did all these events appear clearly delineated as he was walking along the Avon river?

later, i watched the Dali Lama announce he would resign,

take up writing stage plays in a well-worn orange robe with his baby smile.

he wondered aloud if he could lock himself away in his private room for days on end,

crafting a human interest fable on his family heirloom table?

he said he had an initial story idea about a maid named Mable who wears a small white apron, serves a human skull on a small white tray for her employer named Hamlet, but on the very first rehearsal day, Hamlet dies tragically after a brief sword fight.

the maid, according to the Lama, eventually needs to serve herself or not herself.

But, no!  That wouldn't do.

so, the Dali Lama wondered aloud about running for President of the United States during which time he'd chase feral dogs around the Lincoln Memorial during a campaign stop.

Lincoln wouldn't mind, he said.

he also said he heard in his sleep the dogs of war crying Havoc! 

in his dream, an old gravedigger dropped a noisy shovel while burying Ophelia in nearby Arlington National Cemetery.

everyone nearby stopped to pray except for the Lama, 

who couldn't hear the eulogy and what they might have to say or not to say!

it's a Shakespeare thing, said the Lama, imagining a walk along the Avon river.