poems for April poetry month competition |
April 23—Incorporate Shakespeare In Some Way I wrote my first poem In 1971 When I was 15. And have written thousands Of poems since then Now I am close to 70. But during all these years There is one poetical form I have only attempted once. And that attempt To write a Shakespearean sonnet Was just lame. And I have written Several COVID sonnets Which were invented During the COVID pandemic Shakespearean sonnets Just don’t work for me Just can’t hear the iambic pentameter meter. Although I can get the rhyming scheme down. Wish there was An online poetic meter dictionary Don’t know why Someone has not come up With that. I can’t hear traditional meter patterns Perhaps because I grew up with Severe learning disability Half blind and half deaf With a severe speech impediment Did not speak properly Until the 3rd grade After years of speech therapy And so perhaps I just can’t hear The iambic pentameter Or other meter based Poems Which I generally avoid. But the Burns Sonnet Like a Shakespearean sonnet But without the iambic pentameter That sounds like a form I can do. They say Burns wrote sonnets In this way Because as a Scotsman With a thick accent He could never hear Iambic petameter So he wrote his sonnets Ignoring meter. That inspires me To try my hand At a Burns sonnet. |