"To be, or not to be..." Translation

Hamlet: To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Me:  To act, or to watch, that is the question:
Hamlet:  Whether 'tis Nobler in the mind to suffer
Me:  Is it better to suffer
Hamlet:  The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune,
Me:  The pain of tragedy,
Hamlet:  Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,
Me:  Or to take action against the evil force,
Hamlet:  And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep
Me:  And end their lives myself: to die, to rest
Hamlet:  No more; and by a sleep, to say we end
Me:  To end; and by rest I mean to eliminate
Hamlet:  The heart-ache, and the thousand Natural shocks
Me:  The pain and suffering brought by tragedy
Hamlet:  That Flesh is heir to? 'Tis a consummation
Me: He is my own flesh and blood?  It is satisfying
Hamlet:  Devoutly to be wished. To die to sleep,
Me:  To hope.  To die, to rest
Hamlet:  To sleep, perchance to Dream; Ay, there's the rub,
Me:  Or dream; There is the problem,
Hamlet:  For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come,
Me:  After death, the dreams that come,
Hamlet:  When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Me:  When we have escaped this terror,
Hamlet:  Must give us pause. There's the respect
Me:  We must take time, and show respect
Hamlet:  That makes Calamity of so long life:
Me:  For the wonders of an honorable life:
Hamlet:  For who would bear the Whips and Scorns of time,
Me:  Who would carry the burden of time,
Hamlet:  The Oppressor's wrong, the proud man's Contumely,
Me:  The guilt, the proud man's pride,
Hamlet:  The pangs of despised Love, the Law’s delay,
Me:  The pain of love, and the burden of the Law,
Hamlet:  The insolence of Office, and the Spurns
Me:  The mistakes of a leader, and the thorns
Hamlet:  That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
Me:  That innocent men take,
Hamlet:  When he himself might his Quietus make
Me:  When he himself gives thought
Hamlet:  With a bare Bodkin? Who would Fardels bear,
Me:  With a sword?  Who could officials take,
Hamlet:  To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
Me:  To punish them with a life of misery,
Hamlet:  But that the dread of something after death,
Me:  But the dreadful, awaiting afterlife,
Hamlet:  The undiscovered Country, from whose bourn
Me:  The undiscovered future, from those who
Hamlet:  No Traveller returns, Puzzles the will,
Me:  Never return, frightened eternally,
Hamlet:  And makes us rather bear those ills we have,
Me:  We prefer to suffer here on Earth,
Hamlet:  Than fly to others that we know not of.
Me:  Than enter an afterlife of uncertainty.
Hamlet:  Thus Conscience does make Cowards of us all,
Me:  Therefore, our conscience takes over,
Hamlet:  And thus the Native hue of Resolution
Me:  And leads us to a Resolution
Hamlet:  Is sicklied o'er, with the pale cast of Thought,
Me:  Overshadowed by a cloud of thought,
Hamlet:  And enterprises of great pitch and moment,
Me:  And the system of perfection through action,
Hamlet:  With this regard their Currents turn awry,
Me:  With this idea, we turn the other direction,
Hamlet:  And lose the name of Action. Soft you now,
Me: And abandon action... --You are innocent,
Hamlet:  The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy Orisons
Me:  My love, Ophelia!  Your beauty, in my prayers
Hamlet:  Be all my sins remembered.
Me:  My sins never forgotten.

A Life Revolved Around Time

I rise with a schedule filling my head,
rushing to my car, with coffee in hand.
To improve, I cherish the words said,
but somehow my thoughts divert to what's planned.
If only time could stop, the world would freeze,
commitments would come with joy and delight.
With time we rush and loose our sense of ease,
instead of what we did, it's what we might.
But as time moves on and the world spins around,
I realize I couldn't live without my life mapped.
Being busy keeps my feet on the ground,
without this constant pace, i would feel trapped.
Instead I will find a way to align,
the map that controls this blessed life of mine.

Paradise

I lay on the beach
The shore smells like sweet tanning lotion.
Relaxing under the bright, warm sun.
The air tastes fresh and clean,
The waves crash into the shore like rolling claps of thunder.
The colorful umbrellas say, "welcome to paradise."

The Troubles Of Being A Teenager

                As a teenager, it is easy to be the first person for an adult to blame when something goes wrong.  Unfortunately, some teens choose to follow a path of rebellion, while the others are left to work hard to improve their negative reputation.  Like the African-American woman in “Sears Life”, Wanda Coleman, shopping as a minor, or a person of a different race, can make a person feel inferior to the judgmental, intimidating salesmen that surround you with their suspicious eyes.  While feeding off of misconceptions, the workers often expect the worst from some of the best people.  While shopping during the holiday season last year, I was on top of the world.  I was glowing with pride as I shopped with my newly acquired driver’s license and debit card in hand, determined to find the perfect gift for each member of my family.  As I walked into stores, I immediately felt uncomfortable as the salesmen followed my every move, as if they were trying to count my steps.  Like Coleman, I had come with good intentions, only to be looked down on. 

                While leaving one of the stores, the metal detectors began to sound as I approached the doors.  Immediately, my face turned bright red and my stomach twisted into knots.  The workers surrounded me with their glaring eyes, assuming that I had attempted to steal their merchandise.  I immediately began to panic as they began searching my bags.  After what had seemed like hours, an employee came across a shirt I had purchased at a previous store that still had a security tag sewn into the seam.  Rather than assuming it was the other clerk’s mistake, the manager began reviewing my receipts, desperate to catch me in the act.  When they realized I was innocent, the workers practically seemed disappointed.  Whether you differ in age, size or race, everyone is subject to judgments formed by stereotypes and assumptions.  Wanda was immediately judged because of her race, with no reason or proof behind the worker’s claims.

 As a teen, I am still learning from my mistakes.  I openly admit my imperfections and I look to find the best in others.  Although most adults teach adolescents to treat others with respect and equality, they struggle to follow this advice themselves.  Not one person is alike.  Although skepticism towards my age can be insulting, discrimination is inexcusable.  Breaking barriers is difficult; however, once they are broken they can lead to a greater good and understanding of others. 

Seize the Day

                Come one, come all!  Explore the depths of living life to its fullest.  In his poem, “A Birthday Poem,” Ted Kooser references light and nature to convey a theme of growth and progress throughout one’s lifetime.  As each birthday passes, Kooser insists that we must pursue opportunities that are, “waiting for someone to come.”  Like the break of dawn at the start of a new day, we begin our lives with a spectacular future ahead.  As we grow in age, we develop into the people we are destined to be.  Kooser describes the importance of appreciating life by, “feasting on every green moment.”  Kooser personifies the darkness by suggesting that is “calls” to us and suggests that the trees, or opportunities, are “waiting” for someone to come to them.  As our life comes to a close, like the end of the day, we walk into the darkness with the hopes of being remembered.  Kooser’s simple style encourages the reader to appreciate the simple memories acquired throughout our life’s course.  Have you truly lived life to its fullest?  Do you feel you have struggled to find the key to happiness and solitude?  Welcome, my friend!  You have come to right place.

Enough Is Enough

I chose the idiom, “more than what meets the eye” to represent Jorge from the poem Jorge the Church Janitor Finally Quits by Martín Espada.  As a janitor at the church, Jorge felt underappreciated and masked by a stereotypical barrier.  Although he had been employed at the church for a long amount of time, no one had taken to time to know him as an individual.  Jorge wished to be seen as more than the man who mopped the floors and cleaned the restrooms.  Jorge chose to quit, but felt that no one would even notice that he had left unless they needed someone to complain to.  Rather than identifying Jorge as an independent man, most identified him as the figure behind the mop.

¿Qué Es Poesía?

¿Qué es poesía? dices

mientras clavas en mi pupila ta pupila azul.

¿Qué es poesía? Y tú me lo preguntas?

Poesía eres tú.

“What is poetry?” you asked,

as your deep blue eyes gazed into mine. 

What is poetry, you ask? 

Poetry, my love, is you.