Caliban

[cjchaffin]

*this is a piece i wrote a few years ago,
after taking a critical theory class where we looked at this character
from The Tempest through a postcolonial lens rather than the old
"Caliban = pure evil" view that i find rather shortsighted
and ignores the context in which Shakespeare wrote his plays.

i am a novice when it comes to rhyme and meter,
so i thought i would try blank verse in tetrameter to get my feet wet:


Good monster of the distant shore,
fear not! I am no Prospero.
I only wish to comfort you
in penance for my life’s regrets.

What would you have me do, dear sir,
to ease the ache of misplaced trust,
to salve the wounds of wizardry?

I’ve no resource you may desire,
no wealth or title to extort;
I trade in verse and images,
creating life from broken words.

My hands will craft a dream supreme,
a gift of vision with no end.
I'll sing to you a lullaby,
caress your brow with feathered quill.

Your tempest is away, good sir.
The time for sleep is now at hand.