As every English student has found out, A sonnet can be writ by anyone- From rhyming word pairs inspiration sprouts, Resulting in a bit of scanning fun, And pride in saying, “Look at what I wrote!” Enjoying kinship with great wordsmiths past, Since, thanks to Shakespeare, sonnets form connotes Refinement, passion, cleverness, and class. Now, … Continue reading August 28: Do You Want to Write a Sonnet?
poems
June 23: Similes Like Metaphors
When someone called me poet, I demurred And said that what I write is really verse; When asked the difference, I then deferred To dictionary, lest I make things worse. I found that verse has meter, which I knew, And often features rhymes at ends of lines, And while a poem has a rhythm, too, … Continue reading June 23: Similes Like Metaphors
February 12: Concerning Haiku
A poem that has fourteen rhyming lines Without a turn is not a sonnet, true, And syllables, if carefully designed But lack a cut, do not comprise haiku. The forms, distinct, share one important trait: A change in tone dividing discrete parts. Instead of lines that basically conflate, Contrasting concepts fresh ideas impart. So if … Continue reading February 12: Concerning Haiku
January 31: Concerning Clerihews
A clever man was Edmund Clerihew Bentley; a novelist, comedic gem, And counted thus among the very few Who have a type of poem named for them. It started as a sort of schoolboy lark To help recall a chemist's famous deed, And with that salty rhyme he made his mark, And scribes like Auden … Continue reading January 31: Concerning Clerihews
January 30: Concerning Limericks
While sonnets have their devotees, too few Respect the limerick as poetry, While citing violations of taboo, As if perdition came from childish glee. Transgression, true, is in the poem's soul, To laugh at human idiosyncrasies, And mock the powers seeking to control Behavior and enforce morality. And yet, when I take up my pen … Continue reading January 30: Concerning Limericks
Libby Weber 