top of page
Search
  • Writer's pictureGeoff Scully

Sonnets




 

Sonnets have taken various forms and used different rhyming patterns as they evolved from their Italian origin. The form I use requires a total of 14 lines, each line containing 10 syllables, and the last 2 lines rhyme. It's almost like a puzzle; a word puzzle with purpose. Shakespeare wrote a bunch of them, and they're worth checking out. Here's one written in the late 1840's, by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Go from me. Yet I feel that I shall stand Henceforward in thy shadow. Nevermore Alone upon the threshold of my door Of individual life, I shall command The uses of my soul, nor lift my hand Serenely in the sunshine as before, Without the sense of that which I forebore,... Thy touch upon the palm. The widest land Doom takes to part us, leaves thy heart in mine With pulses that beat double. What I do And what I dream include thee, as the wine Must taste of its own grapes. And when I sue God for myself, He hears that name of thine, And sees within my eyes, the tears of two. And, from 2013, one of mine (which fails the 10 syllable requirement) Reading it now, I curiously have no recollection what inspired it... New Leaf ? She needs no substitute love tonight To back-fill bloodied trenches of lost wars, To paw the frozen snow for something bright; Tonight the cup of empty she ignores. I don't know exactly when it happened, When the bloated stories lost their appeal; From her moist neck she's pulled the soiled napkin, Gorged with gorgeous sweet puffs of nothing real. This is her chance to grab at your lifeline While burying what might have been; Within sleeps the luster, dreams undefined Calling for nurture of just such a friend. The cherry blossoms must litter the earth Before the summer's harvest reveals their worth. Here's one called "My Love Is": My love is like a raisin on a rug; If you truly care please watch where you step! Bend down and free me with your gentle tug Because I'm stuck here from the tears I've wept. My love is like your pillow on my bed, So soft and warm yet smelling different And offering me sweet comfort instead Of insecurity and discontent. My love is like valuable blue lint, So ordinary to everyone else. A whisper in complete darkness you'd sent I heard across a universe of yells. My love is a long journey with a smile: Familiar arm around me for awhile.

19 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Gravel Driveway Help

If you're trying to figure out how much gravel you need for your driveway, or how much sand, fill or topsoil you need for a given area, I'm happy to help. Call: 203 268-3360. Or... you can do-it-you

A Common Cause of Septic Leaching Problems

Sometimes the answer is simple. In fact, over half the time the problem turns out to be a toilet that's leaking water out to the septic system, 24 hrs a day. If you've got a spongy area in your yar

A "Hidden Epidemic"

According to the World Health Organization snakebites are out of control. The hope is that, with newly announced funding from a British trust, better access to anti-venom and related treatment will sa

Post: Blog2_Post
bottom of page