Timeless Classics

Had Romeo and Juliet eloped
we'd never know this tale of star crossed lovers.
By killing all his darlings Shakespeare hoped
each generation reads it and discovers
the Montagues and Capulets anew,
and weeps over their sorry tale of woe.
We'd wonder if our love is just as true
as that of Juliet and Romeo.
But Shakespeare did not deal with focus groups,
though possibly a run in with a censor
might force the playwright, going through their hoops,
to skew the storyline or make it denser,
and write it as a comedy instead.
Like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.