"There's this man named William Shakespeare"

This week I had the pleasure of sitting in a circle with five pre-teens who were talking about their favorite artists and musicians. They were surprised when I clearly did not know the singer Kito, and I promised to look her up when I got home. They were just in disbelief that I had never heard Sonic Symphony. Then, it turned out, I also did not know any of the anime artists they mentioned, and when the whole group burst into “Defying Gravity,” it became sadly clear that I didn’t know the words. One 11-year-old seemed especially worried about how deprived I was of experiencing great art. He looked at me with some pity and said, “Well, there is this man named William Shakespeare.” This 5^th-grader proceeded to recite Sonnet 73. I was just barely able to hold back tears. Do you have any idea how lovely it is to listen to an 11-year-old reciting:

That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.

It was almost unbearably sweet. I didn’t tell him that I already shared his love of Shakespeare’s sonnets. I just promised to look this up when I got home, along with the lyrics to “Defying Gravity.”

I did watch you-tube videos of all their favorite artists when I got home this afternoon, saving Shakespeare for last. I realized it had been too many years since I sat down with the Shakespeare sonnets. And I have to admit, I gave the other artists a much more respectful ear, knowing that at least some of the children who love them also love Shakespeare.

Photo by Taha on Unsplash