Sonnets Here, In-House

Inkling, that loveliest of all Mods, informed me a little while ago that she was pleased with the acrostic sonnet I wrote for her. Take the morale boost of her approval....plus the sudden realization that TWO names of significance to her and me each have SEVEN letters....and look what emerges!!


For those who aren't familiar with "Les Miz,"
A better musical's not risen yet.
No lady who could sing as Fantine is
The equal of our Inkling, Juliet.
I'm flattered that, though just in fantasy,
Not likely to be realized, we two
Embody stars of Hugo's tragedy,
Vicariously joined up in the blue.
A chance to sing the role of Jean Valjean,
Loved less, and hated more, than he deserves,
Just isn't granted to each unknown pawn;
Enough if it's not given to real nerds.
A dream it is, to sing with Juliet;
Nobody's wish is always what they get.
 
Might as well write one for Fox. Its kinda stupid but hey, who cares! :P

~~~

Careful, thoughtfull, and most well read,
Upon each story's thread he replies.
Always kind, with a well leveled head,
Ne'er allowing an idea to die.

To this simple southern boy,
He's kept a patient mind,
No matter How I've been coy,
He's always, to me, been kind.

~~

Im a very annoying person, I guess Cop's been able to handle that over the years, dunno how lol. Appreciate ya man!

PS: this is the correct format for a sonnet right?
 
It is not stupid to fall short on a first attempt. What would really be stupid would be if you never tried to expand your abilities. Therefore, Hobo my lad, you have AVOIDED stupidity by this bold effort you made. Now, you must not feel put down when I tell you that what you wrote is an okay poem (and I'm truly complimented by the idea it expresses), but it is not strictly a sonnet.

Past generations were accustomed to more exact forms in writing--perhaps because there were fewer people who COULD write, so that the literate class was small enough to be more easily influenced by style-setters. A true sonnet MUST have fourteen lines, with ten syllables in each line; the only exception is that occasionally an extra syllable is tacked onto the end of some lines to allow a certain choice of rhyming words.

I am now going to ADD enough words to your existing words to MAKE your poem into a sonnet, not removing any of your original words if I can help it, even drawing on your commenting text a little. This will wind up as, I think, the first COLLABORATIVE sonnet on the Sonnets thread! All of the words in the end product should still be thought of as YOU speaking to me.



He's forty years my senior, so I guess
It's natural he knows a little more;
Old Copperfox may smile as I confess
He's helped me understand more than before.

He's careful, thoughtful, and he's most well-read,
Upon each story's thread he will reply.
He's always kind, with a well leveled head,
And won't let any good idea die.

To me, a simple teenage Southern boy,
He's kept consistently a patient mind,
No matter if my thinking's odd, or coy,
To me, he's not annoyed, but always kind.

Somehow he puts up with me as I am;
So, Fox, I do appreciate ya, man!
 
To Buckmana


Upon my birthday, in my house alone,
I simply felt like making up more verse.
Your profile made me think I could do worse
Than sonnetizing you--don't give a groan!

I like Australia, though I never went.
I can sing "Moreton Bay" with quite an air.
I've liked remarks you've made on "Silver Chair,"
For you respect what C.S. Lewis meant.

Your April birthday touches my old heart;
That was the month I married my first bride,
And later, was the month the second died;
One month now means "arrival" and "depart."

You're old enough to have a story, too;
I'm sure we'd all like hearing more from you.
 
A Sonnet for the New Year

My heart is watchful, facing Twenty-Ten,
In light of things I have beheld this year.
The same lies will be parrotted again,
Persuading folks to misdirect their fear.

Some will do what Isaiah warned against:
Pretending that the evil is the good.
The true aggressors will claim self-defense,
While some are cursed for doing what they should.

I wish that I could make these lines all fluff,
But closing eyes is not what makes you safe--
Unless they're closed in prayer for all the stuff
We'll never struggle through if we lack faith.

I wish a happy year for all of you;
But far, far more, may all our hearts be true.
 
Copperfox said:
Since DANI has also returned to TDL....


With hemispheres and timezones opposite,
I can't exactly walk across the hall,
Knock on your door and ask you, "How is it
With you today?"--nor can my cellphone call

To Indonesia. Thus, when we heard news
Of earthquakes and typhoons in your far land,
We prayed and waited. We would hate to lose
A dear and lovely member of our band!

The silent months were long; we were concerned,
Though busy with new people signing on.
Since now we have the joy that you've returned,
We'll share what happened here while you were gone.

And late-arriving fans of Narnia
Will get to meet our Danny Darnia.
Click to expand...
that was a great sonnet for an angel :)
 
For anyone who finds this interesting....

The ancient Romans used poetry for a variety of teaching purposes, to make lessons easier to remember. If Latin speakers can do it, so can English speakers, as I shall now demonstrate.


A MATHEMATICAL SONNET

In multiplying, there are tricks to try
For memory; for instance, let's run through
The eights: with every time you multiply,
The ending numeral goes down by two.

Twice eight is sixteen; six is two from eight.
Three eights is twenty-four; four's two from six.
Four eights is thirty-two, and I will state
That two from four is two--I like these tricks.

Five eights is forty; zero's two from two.
Six eights is forty-eight, so start again.
The next is fifty-six, and we can do
This process even past the eight-times-ten.

Write all these in a column, and you'll see
The pattern I've described in poetry.


08
16
24
32
40
48
56
64
72
80
88
96
etc.​


Yeah, I know that just showing the column is more efficient--but not as much fun.
 
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