Shakespeare's Spelling Poem by Douglas Scotney

Bogged in Goldstein's book,
The Theory And Practice Of Oligarchical Collectivism*,
I opened my Wordbook Chambers at Shakespeare's
alteration of 'knurled' to 'gnarled'.

In honor of how spelling changed,
of how Old French plesir became pleasure,
tresor, treasure,
leisir, leisure,
Shakespeare wrote 'Mesure For Measure'.

Within it
he new-spelled 'gnarled' for 'knurled'.

He probably tried knaw for gnaw
and gnackled for knuckled:
we don't gnow, for gel they did not;
nor did gnuck for knock.

Wrangled Shakespeare probably, too,
'By any measure,
as seizure comes from saisir,
seizure should be seasure.'