Sonnets Here, In-House

Since we have TDL members who are mothers, I reproduce here the sonnet I just wrote to my own mother (and to other family members who are mothers) for Mothers' Day.


You mothers, as is also true of dads,
Have culture-hucksters looking down their nose
At you, and at the work of mothers' hands;
But by your love, you're greater than your foes.

No town or nation can survive a week
Without those who contribute, love and build,
Investing in each human soul unique
The effort to help each one be fulfilled.

In giving we receive, though life be spent
Outside the spotlight, glamour out of reach.
A mother guides her young in each event
Of life, till they themselves know how to teach.

The mother then exults as they progress,
While they, if wise, will never love her less.
 
Thanks Joe for the tribute to moms; I like the part about guiding till they themselves are able to teach. Also, I hope your mother is in good health ...

p.s. And a happy post-Mother's Day to the other moms on TDL:

love
is
the
house
you are building
for your kids
so they
can
know
God is real
as He touches them
through
your warmth
and His word
 
Copperfox said:
Well, ma merveilleuse Fantine, I'll just have to keep trying to impress you further!


For The Absent LIFEMAIDEN....


At once adult and childish, meek and vain,
Michelle was one to whom no one could be
Indifferent--for everyone could see
Her struggle to make sense of crushing pain.

She had both suffered wrong, and sinned herself;
The latter she repented, while the first,
Hard to forgive, pursued her like a curse,
The whole time she gave tips for others' health.

She wrote to me awhile, and would confide
Some feelings; but the feelings always changed.
She left The Dancing Lawn as if estranged--
I don't know if to seek, or if to hide.

I pray that God will heal her secret sore,
Yet I scarce know just whom I'm praying for.
Click to expand...

I didn't get any further than this one, but I stopped at this one because it's about LifeMaiden and I miss her a great deal. If she ever comes back, I hope she finds this sonnet you wrote for her. :)
 
Slipping down the queue! Must write another sonnet!


FOR "EVACUATING.LONDON"

Upon a forum thread you did lament
Of loneliness--which doubtless comes in part
From missing a loved one who lately went
Away, and left a dead space in your heart.

It was you, was it not? The Dancing Lawn
Hears from so many souls in grief and pains,
Confiding in the hours before the dawn;
Forgive me, sometimes I confuse the names.

I think it's you I'm thinking of; your hurt
Was recent, right? And now you feel alone.
I've been there, done that, but there's no T-shirt
For those bereaved, while burdens make us groan.

Yet since we have so many who have wept,
That's many from whom love you may accept.
 
Aww what a beautiful sonnet. Sounds like it's based on a very tragic event though. I hope comfort is being found by those who need it.

I ended up reading the sonnet again after I wrote that. ^ The last verse really stood out to me this time. It's absolutely true. I know that I personally have had enough heartache and done enough sobbing through my life to fill a swimming pool with tears. Not to sound too cliche, but without going through those terrible times, I wouldn't know fully how good the good times really are.
 
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Yes....and beginning when I had lost my first wife, I have come to appreciate the Biblical injunction to comfort others with the same comfort God has given us.
 
Something Special For Someone Special

THE FOLLOWING IS NOT A SONNET. BUT I PLACE IT HERE BECAUSE, IF POSTED IN A THREAD OF ITS OWN, IT WOULD SOON DISAPPEAR UNDER THE FLOOD OF CELTIC-THUNDER STORIES. THIS IS IN HONOR OF MARY SCUDELLARI RAVITTS, 1937-2004. IT WAS BEGUN LONG AGO; SET ASIDE BECAUSE I MARRIED JANALEE; AND NOW, WITH JANALEE _ALSO_ GONE, IT HAS BEEN COMPLETED. (THERE WAS NO SENSE OF HASTE, BECAUSE IT IS INTENDED ABOVE ALL FOR THE BENEFIT OF DOMINIC DAVID MARTINEZ, WHO HAS YET TO LEARN ABOUT THE GRANDMOTHER HE NEVER GOT TO MEET.)


A RED-HAIRED
LADY IN HEAVEN​

A Red-Haired Lady woke up from a dark and ugly dream;
The bad things all were blown away like little puffs of steam.
Now all around the woman was a pile of dirty clothes;
She shook her head and told herself, "Why, I remember those!
I used to wear them, but they never fit me very well;
And even though I washed them, they would get a nasty smell."

"Don't worry," said a booming voice; "here in My neighborhood,
The clothes are always comfortable, and always smelling good.
Stand up and see that you're already wearing a new dress.
It's white and clean; it's what I call a robe of righteousness."
The Red-Haired Lady saw that it was so, and then she asked,
"Where are You? Are You Jesus? Can I see Your face at last?"

"Yes, I am Jesus," He replied, appearing in her view,
"And you are finished now with all the pain that you went through.
You never will be sick again, or feel a cause to weep,
For this is where you wake up from the final earthly sleep."
"Praise God!" the Red-Haired Lady said. "At last I'm safely home!
But what about my husband? He's been left on Earth alone!"

"I promise you, I'll make sure he's all right," the Savior said.
"You mustn't ever have another worry in your head."
Then Jesus led the Red-Haired Lady up a street of gold,
Where people were grown up and wise, but never really old.
"Look over there!" He told her. "There's a man you'll recognize;
"I'm going to let him carry on your tour of Paradise."

She looked where Jesus pointed, and she saw a man she knew;
It was her brother David, and he recognized her too.
They ran to hug each other, and the Red-Haired Lady said,
"I guess you know how sad I was on Earth when you were dead."
"Of course I knew," he answered; "but I prayed for you up here,
That God would be with you, and make your way to Heaven clear.

"Well, now that you've arrived, some neighbors want to say hello,
And thank you for the kindness that you showed them down below."
A crowd came near, and people started saying, "You're the nurse
Who cared for us when we were sick or hurt back there on Earth!
You gave us pills, and helped us walk, and chased away our fear;
Now Heaven's even better than before, because you're here!"


(CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE)​
 
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THE PRECEDING IS HOW FAR I HAD GOTTEN WITH IT BEFORE. HERE IS THE COMPLETION, WHICH I WROTE ON MONDAY, THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF MARY'S HOMEGOING.


Lost relatives and special friends came to enlarge the crowd;
The cries of welcome were as musical as they were loud.
Then friends of friends, and relatives of relatives--a swarm
Including souls in Heaven when our heroine was born,
Great-great-grandfathers, great-great-great-grandmothers, and so on,
Embraced the Red-Haired Lady in the light of Heaven's dawn.

Then David once again took hold of his dear sister's hand,
And told her, "There's a way for you to see the Shadowland."
He led her to a sort of giant television set,
And said, "Here you can see those who have not crossed over yet."
The Red-Haired Lady watched her grandson Dominic at birth,
Agreeing with the blessing that her husband spoke on Earth.

"You've got the right idea," David said; "this is a way
Not only to behold them, but to love them still, and pray.
No longer can we walk among the dear ones dwelling there,
But we can call on God to keep them always in His care."
The woman therefore prayed for daughter and for son-in-law,
And for her husband, all of whose activity she saw.

A Black-Haired Girl appeared beside her at some point in time,
Explaining, "I was sent here as the victim of a crime.
Your son-in-law's my brother; do you mind if I watch, too?"
"Of course not," said the Red-Haired Lady; "it's the thing to do."
The grandson of the elder was the nephew of the young;
And both watched with delight as he grew healthy, cute and strong.

The Red-Haired Lady still recalled her husband, and her prayer
Was that his life could have another love come in to share.
She prayed for his protection from the faithless and the cold,
So only a good woman could join him in growing old,
While some who were good women, but just not meant to wed him,
Were sent on other paths, until God's choice was ushered in.

Amid all this, just once, the Red-Haired Lady was allowed
To step inside her husband's dreams, and tell him she had found
The place where she belonged, where Jesus, as her dearest love,
Kept her in comfort, though her crossing over had been rough.
That single visit gave the widower strength to endure,
For he knew God had planned the special dream to reassure.

God chose a Brown-Haired Lady then to love the Gray-Haired Man--
But only for three years, until she joined the saintly band.
The Brown-Haired Lady knew her predecessor fairly well;
There was no jealousy, but only tales for both to tell.
The Brown-Haired Lady then moved on; she too had friends to meet,
And long she mingled with her loved ones on the golden street.

But still the Red-Haired Lady, with her brother often there,
Looked on her daughter and on others; she would always care.
And still she sees her husband, waiting to find out God's plan
Of whether he is meant to finish as a single man.
The Red-Haired Lady waits for him to show up at her side,
There where all souls are loved, in which the Lord is glorified.


Joseph Richard Ravitts

Ut Fidem Praestem In Difficultate!
 
Copperfox said:
THE FOLLOWING IS NOT A SONNET. BUT I PLACE IT HERE BECAUSE, IF POSTED IN A THREAD OF ITS OWN, IT WOULD SOON DISAPPEAR UNDER THE FLOOD OF CELTIC-THUNDER STORIES. THIS IS IN HONOR OF MARY SCUDELLARI RAVITTS, 1937-2004. IT WAS BEGUN LONG AGO; SET ASIDE BECAUSE I MARRIED JANALEE; AND NOW, WITH JANALEE _ALSO_ GONE, IT HAS BEEN COMPLETED. (THERE WAS NO SENSE OF HASTE, BECAUSE IT IS INTENDED ABOVE ALL FOR THE BENEFIT OF DOMINIC DAVID MARTINEZ, WHO HAS YET TO LEARN ABOUT THE GRANDMOTHER HE NEVER GOT TO MEET.)


A RED-HAIRED
LADY IN HEAVEN​

A Red-Haired Lady woke up from a dark and ugly dream;
The bad things all were blown away like little puffs of steam.
Now all around the woman was a pile of dirty clothes;
She shook her head and told herself, "Why, I remember those!
I used to wear them, but they never fit me very well;
And even though I washed them, they would get a nasty smell."

"Don't worry," said a booming voice; "here in My neighborhood,
The clothes are always comfortable, and always smelling good.
Stand up and see that you're already wearing a new dress.
It's white and clean; it's what I call a robe of righteousness."
The Red-Haired Lady saw that it was so, and then she asked,
"Where are You? Are You Jesus? Can I see Your face at last?"

"Yes, I am Jesus," He replied, appearing in her view,
"And you are finished now with all the pain that you went through.
You never will be sick again, or feel a cause to weep,
For this is where you wake up from the final earthly sleep."
"Praise God!" the Red-Haired Lady said. "At last I'm safely home!
But what about my husband? He's been left on Earth alone!"

"I promise you, I'll make sure he's all right," the Savior said.
"You mustn't ever have another worry in your head."
Then Jesus led the Red-Haired Lady up a street of gold,
Where people were grown up and wise, but never really old.
"Look over there!" He told her. "There's a man you'll recognize;
"I'm going to let him carry on your tour of Paradise."

She looked where Jesus pointed, and she saw a man she knew;
It was her brother David, and he recognized her too.
They ran to hug each other, and the Red-Haired Lady said,
"I guess you know how sad I was on Earth when you were dead."
"Of course I knew," he answered; "but I prayed for you up here,
That God would be with you, and make your way to Heaven clear.

"Well, now that you've arrived, some neighbors want to say hello,
And thank you for the kindness that you showed them down below."
A crowd came near, and people started saying, "You're the nurse
Who cared for us when we were sick or hurt back there on Earth!
You gave us pills, and helped us walk, and chased away our fear;
Now Heaven's even better than before, because you're here!"


(CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE)​
Click to expand...

Copperfox said:
THE PRECEDING IS HOW FAR I HAD GOTTEN WITH IT BEFORE. HERE IS THE COMPLETION, WHICH I WROTE ON MONDAY, THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF MARY'S HOMEGOING.


Lost relatives and special friends came to enlarge the crowd;
The cries of welcome were as musical as they were loud.
Then friends of friends, and relatives of relatives--a swarm
Including souls in Heaven when our heroine was born,
Great-great-grandfathers, great-great-great-grandmothers, and so on,
Embraced the Red-Haired Lady in the light of Heaven's dawn.

Then David once again took hold of his dear sister's hand,
And told her, "There's a way for you to see the Shadowland."
He led her to a sort of giant television set,
And said, "Here you can see those who have not crossed over yet."
The Red-Haired Lady watched her grandson Dominic at birth,
Agreeing with the blessing that her husband spoke on Earth.

"You've got the right idea," David said; "this is a way
Not only to behold them, but to love them still, and pray.
No longer can we walk among the dear ones dwelling there,
But we can call on God to keep them always in His care."
The woman therefore prayed for daughter and for son-in-law,
And for her husband, all of whose activity she saw.

A Black-Haired Girl appeared beside her at some point in time,
Explaining, "I was sent here as the victim of a crime.
Your son-in-law's my brother; do you mind if I watch, too?"
"Of course not," said the Red-Haired Lady; "it's the thing to do."
The grandson of the elder was the nephew of the young;
And both watched with delight as he grew healthy, cute and strong.

The Red-Haired Lady still recalled her husband, and her prayer
Was that his life could have another love come in to share.
She prayed for his protection from the faithless and the cold,
So only a good woman could join him in growing old,
While some who were good women, but just not meant to wed him,
Were sent on other paths, until God's choice was ushered in.

Amid all this, just once, the Red-Haired Lady was allowed
To step inside her husband's dreams, and tell him she had found
The place where she belonged, where Jesus, as her dearest love,
Kept her in comfort, though her crossing over had been rough.
That single visit gave the widower strength to endure,
For he knew God had planned the special dream to reassure.

God chose a Brown-Haired Lady then to love the Gray-Haired Man--
But only for three years, until she joined the saintly band.
The Brown-Haired Lady knew her predecessor fairly well;
There was no jealousy, but only tales for both to tell.
The Brown-Haired Lady then moved on; she too had friends to meet,
And long she mingled with her loved ones on the golden street.

But still the Red-Haired Lady, with her brother often there,
Looked on her daughter and on others; she would always care.
And still she sees her husband, waiting to find out God's plan
Of whether he is meant to finish as a single man.
The Red-Haired Lady waits for him to show up at her side,
There where all souls are loved, in which the Lord is glorified.


Joseph Richard Ravitts

Ut Fidem Praestem In Difficultate!
Click to expand...

lol both really awesome.
 
Bless you, Audrey. (It's all one poem.) The very first person to be shown the completed poem was Annemarie Martinez, the daughter Mary and I raised, now the wife of Anthony Martinez and mother of Dominic. Her evaluation was, and I quote:

"It's beautiful, Dad!"​

That gives me the approval of the most important reader.
 
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