MORE SAMPLES AND DISCUSSION OF SONNET

MORE SAMPLES AND DISCUSSION OF SONNET

by David B. Axelrod

To prove a point to myself, if not to you, I've included two sonnets of my own below. They are written "casually" to prove a point. I approach a sonnet with a different poetic than some sonneteers use. Some people think a sonnet should have heightened diction or even archaic phrasing. Their sonnet sounds more like Shakespeare's than contemporary English.

If I use a form, such as the sonnet, it is as often to make me think more about the subject than the lazy, and as often flippant free verse of contemporary poets. Writing a sonnet puts one in a different head. To follow the rules, the poet has to think more. That can result in a better poem than the "anything goes" approach of contemporary poetry. Here's my draft of a sonnet done as a challenge to make a point for you:

THE PROMISE OF YOUTH

My son the journalist just got a job--

his third in three years working up the chain.

Perhaps his calls for money won't be the pain

that drains my bank account and often robs

me of a good night's sleep. Not that I blame

him. He's committed to a field he loves.

He's working hard, wins prizes though it does

not pay enough to live. It's just a shame

they do this to a kid. I tried to be

a journalist and quit. It didn't pay.

I see myself with press pass on my way

to interview some personality.

I'm too old for that now. It's up to him.

My money is my vote for him to win.

SONNET SANDY

You scare me or perhaps I scare myself.

Intensity--who runs five miles a day

at fifty? Walk the dog, work all day,

Tai Chi and dancing class, no magic elf

could keep that pace. And I am glad to lay

abed till noon , where I have everything

I need except a lover. Still, I cling

to being single firmly as you say

he'll pay who cheated--thirty years undone.

We both are from a place we'd rather change.

We're careful not to date someone deranged,

agreeing that our visits have been fun.

I watch you spin through your activities.

Am I your latest hobby or a tease?