Petrarchan sonnet prompted by "jealousy" |
Silent Jeer A wicked temptress stalks her prey tonight, With graceful gait, hips sway to generate Heart’s sweet desires; mine slowly swells with hate, The fires of lust sparked in the dark ignite. Across the room the albatross takes flight, As if on feathered feet she floats; too late To stop her stealth approach toward my date, I sense at once she has him in her sight. A brush of lips, he whispers in my ear, I turn; my face is mirrored in his eyes, Words uttered so no one will overhear, His hands direct me, to the door they steer, Last glance I see her glare and realize, Her jealousy's not veiled by silent jeer. Note: Petrarchan, or Italian Sonnet, is a fourteen line poem distinguished by its strict iambic pentameter and rigid rhyme scheme: abba abba cdc cdc (Sicilian sestet). The first eight line stanza, the octave, establishes the theme and developes the poem in a certain direction. The ninth line is the turn which heralds a distinct change in tone from the octave. The second stanza, or the sestet, introduces a new development in a different direction, with the first tercet carrying this new direction to a definite point; and the final tercet bringing the theme to a conclusion. |