All the World's Not a Stage

The world’s most famous ditherer
Was Hamlet, who, to trap the king
(His father’s likely murderer)
Declared within the play’s the thing.
He’d show what Claudius had done
Upon a stage, though not for fun.

He wanted Claudius to cringe
And thus cause one more regicide
In fact he loosed a lethal binge.
In which multae personae died
Including Uncle Claudius.
What lesson’s there for all of us?

We don’t have some Norwegian prince
Like Fortinbras to come along
And mend a broken country since
In real life seldom dreams belong
That make the world indeed a stage
Where liberation-longings rage.

So if Obama hesitates
Deciding where and how to aid
Democracy in Arab states,
Reflect upon the options weighed:
Our future welfare versus theirs
Upon the stage of world affairs.

Bahrain has Shiites in the street
Protesting long-time Sunni rule
It’s home port, though, for our Fifth Fleet,
And Saudi Sunnis sell us fuel.
The U.S., should it get involved
And risk important ties dissolved?

In Yemen, poorest Arab state,
Protesters want a party change.
But should we help them terminate
A government that, in exchange,
For aid from us disrupts a cell
Al Qaeda runs to give us hell?

As with Mubarak, maverick,
Who dared make peace with Israel,
A role’s there for realpolitik
(Though principled in general)
And not a blitz as in Iraq
By Bush, but caution by Barack.