Sonnets

The modern day definition of a sonnet is usually considered to be the structured poems written by William Shakespeare. They started out as lyrical poems, to which Shakespeare adapted his 14 line structure. There are 3 stanzas and an ending couplet. The rhyme scheme is a b a b c d c d e f e f g g. Also, each line has exactly 10 syllables and each line should follow iambic pentameter. It's pretty amazing that Shakespeare wrote 154 of these. I really like trying to write these because I find the structure to be pleasant upon reading. I also enjoy the challenge of fumbling for the right words to fit the Shakespearean sonnet blueprint.

I wrote this one about getting old and dying yesterday. Not just dying, but also losing life's vigor. A lot of sonnets start with the introduction of a problem, followed by an expansion on that problem, followed by a "turn" in which the author starts to solve the problem or offers advice on the problem, and ends with a couplet that is usually uplifting. I'm sure you might have heard Sonnet #18, one of his most famous sonnets. It's the one that starts "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" So here's mine.

Growing Old

Gray days cast their shadows on our good sun.
Rain falls, washing away my youthful dreams.
Gone too, withered with age, my sense of fun.
Despair soaks my old bones or so it seems.

Forget Fountain of Youth, age has no cure.
The hour-glass flips, commence the fall of sand.
Trapped in aging bodies, forced to live here.
Father Time holds earthly vessels in hand.

But youth lives not in our self but our minds.
Act how you want to feel, rather than aged.
Engage, explore, live life, treasure your finds.
Loosen age's grip, Death waits, so what? It's staged.

Fear not my friends, brighter days make their way.
Hold on to hope and friends, and come what may.

Yeah, so that's it. I appreciate any criticisms and feedback. I leave you with a picture of William Shakespeare. There are people who think he never wrote anything, and it's all some crazy conspiracy to lend his name to all these works written by others. I think that's pretty silly. Just look at this face. Is that the face of a fraud? I don't think so.


Next time: Haikus!