Today's prompts from Write Better Poetry and NaPoWriMo: (1) Write a "touch" poem, and (2) write a "curtal sonnet", a form popularized by Gerard Manley Hopkins which is in a sonnet-like structure except it is only 11 lines, with the last line shortened to about half the length of the others. I struggled all day with this one, and I usually enjoy and have little trouble writing sonnets and many other forms.Today I just couldn't seem to get on the poetic horse, at least partly due to distractions of getting ready for the Easter holiday tomorrow. So I decided to take an old piece of advice: If you are completely stuck for what to write about, than write about not being able to write. Even if you don't create a great poem as a result, at least you found something inspiring enough to write about. So here is my result:
I stumble over meter, sound and verse.
I've written sonnets many dozen times;
this evening, though, I fumble over choice
of words, my inspiration gone, and worse,
I feel bone-dry, there's not one thing that primes
my pump, no beauty in this darkened space.
But you, with the compassion of a nurse,
come in to hug me, and my heartbeat climbs.
Then all the syllables fall into place;
the evening rhymes.
1 comment:
Bruce, what a sweet poem. And what a great ending rhyme word. Bravo!
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