Shakespearean Sonnet
Old Milk
Prematurely, crass calls takes me from bed
Resigned, sleepy, I curse white morning birds
Now more. Multiplying shrill cries bring dread
Pouring cold milk ,much too early for words.
Predictable gulls bear no surprises
Dawn carries them in, while noon sees them quit
Opaque flux rivals overgrown white flies
A sniff, the truth; I move from where I sit
Faded numbers on the carton reads "bad".
Dumping old liquid, a seabreeze comes in
I look listlessly; spot last night's salad
While aves through the window chase fish and fin
The sun gleams and glares, bellies of birds full
Tulip adorned sheets call; I am not far.
VILLANELLE
Comedian
A candle goes out, life is taken, somebody knows.
Out of jaws of death, queries spring
Yet demise for us breathing creatures; natural as having ten toes.
Throat tightened, blood flowed, eyes closed, breathing slowed
Old scars collected blood like craters in rain
A candle goes out, a life is taken, somebody knows.
His enemies left roses. No wife, kids at his funeral, only friends turned foes
Cigar burning, menacing grin, "It's all a joke," he knew best
that demise for us breathing creatures; natural as having ten toes.
Each hit well calculated, each bloody, crushing, blow,
Cigar smoke smouldered, heavy bones snapped, twisted
A candle goes out, a life is taken, somebody knows.
Glass breaking, people screaming, buzzers dinging, t.v game shows
Screen flickering ,body thrown, twenty stories falling. Greeting wet pavement.
Yet demise for us breathing creatures; natural as having ten toes.
Reporters ask questions, one old wax candle still glows
Entertainer terminated amongst smoke and game shows,
A candle goes out, a life is taken, somebody knows
Yet demise for us breathing creatures; as natural as having ten toes.
(this one is vaguely based on a character from the graphic novel Watchmen..)
Sestina
Founded in brick, left in marble, if only I were there to watch!
One time capital of the world. Birthing greatness, life, war, death
Art, wine, food, chariots and love, love, love
Golden helmets adorned with feathers colored red
No doubt in any man's mind that only one
Empire, towering over all in mankind's narration- it can only be Rome.
Once golden and marble; industry, ruins, graffiti now inhabit streets of Rome
Hawaiian shirt wearing tourist halts at McDonalds. Flavian Amphitheatre can wait; checks his watch
He doesn't know the Great Fire,the Senate, nor Nero's hysterics. Simply wondering: if he were a gladiator, would he have won?
No heed paid to the Punic Wars, or Carthage, yet remembers reading in high school Ceasar's death.
Big Macs, to him romantic as the small italian eateries around the city; ketchup dribbled onto his belly leaving a stain that's red
Waddling down the Roman forum, no notice to aged, chipped Venus, goddess of love
Some creatures must value this place; history begs to be idolized, loved
Blood thirsty, never ending conquests for land; none could match the civilized brutality of Rome
Men at war, leaders power hungry, uncompromising, land stained crimson red
Blood tinged winter and summer grounds, snow and sweat, only charcoaled ravens stay to watch
Metal on metal. Breathing, clashing, burning, yelling, laughing, drinking, sleeping, choking, death.
Ink stained feathered creatures pick up the battered bloody pieces at their pleasure, one by one
Farms, cities once littered with corpses rose up when a call trimphant and shrill came at once;
Fathers, sons, men to arms. Defend the ever growing empire, sacrifice freedom,old age , love
Years pass, we all live the same lives, each and every single path ending in death.
Yet try and show me another city whose beauty no living imagination can picture, there is only Rome.
A refined she-wolf, under the burden of expectation, keeps on. Smirking, stalking, watching
Laughing at the prospect of anything but greatness, bearing white fangs and a muzzle coated red.
Love of God, not of Zeus took root ; blood dripped from a crown of thorns, thick and red
New Emperor; first of many, Constantine worshipped not many but one
Every sacrifice of blood, sheep, virgins, cattle, sodden eyes watched
as daughters, companions, gold earning posessions which garnered love
were taken for Jupiter, Juno, Apollo, Diana, once guardians of Rome
now discarded for a carpenter, how bitter we now rejoice in his birth and death!
Paved streets, haunted with Roman ghosts and stories of their deaths
skin tingling, mind wandering, remembering what's been read
of gladiators, fine architecture...unhinged satisfaction in Rome.
Laughing, praising a city which raises her head under neighboring stars, anyone
can see constellations today; sky lit up, glowing in idoltry and love
My tired eyes look past conspicuous McDonalds, I take off my watch
An old ivory fountain draws me near, I like this one
with age, she remained smooth and sleek, fast food, tourists slowly fade into Roman
obscruity along with every girl who ever sat upon this same seat; Into the water, I toss my watch.
(I also had a hard time making this flow more poetically and read less like prose...but it's my fault for picking a loaded topic for a poem which structure demands simplicity. whatever.)
And just for fun:
