This is a sonnet for Fungie, a dolphin who has lived since 1984 in Dingle Bay, Co. Kerry, Ireland, and performs regularly for tourists.
Each day in summer season he appears,
a sleek dark head above the sparkling waves;
his ritual perfected through the years
of tourist's whims and children's accolades.
This acrobatic diva of the deep,
at one with tidal flow and rapid motion,
can, like a sinewy torpedo, leap
and climb the liquid foothills of the ocean.
But when old age or illness takes its toll,
his memory will then begin to fade
and something new must surely fill the hole;
this empty gap in Dingle's tourist trade.
Oh, should we then immortalise his name
and place him in the dolphin hall of fame?
Author notes
Sonnet
A contest entry
- Write a villanelle, Sonnet or Ode that is not maudlin or erotic. by Lyndon.
800 points, ended October 22, 2007, 20 entries
Bronze trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Best of 2007: Rhymed/Formed Poetry by B Chandler.
1000 points, ended January 1, 2008, 15 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Rhyme - Sonnet, Villanelle, or Pantoum only. by ecrivain01.
450 points, ended July 31, 2008, 17 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 12 of 12
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very original subject !
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Very nice ...
thanks for entering. -
Lovely sir, a shining example of a sonnet, well done and all the best.
mj.
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I think you should place him in the hall of fame...
I have to comment again!...you write a wonderful tribute to him. You also move into a field of vocabulary in such a way that your poem stands out as unique. The imagery is superb. Your pentameter is perfect and the sonnet, modern in theme, is old fashioned in form.
We have many dolphins here too. Beautiful animals to write about and you do it well.
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I vote for ...
the Dolphin Hall of Fame.
Excellent poem.
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My friend
It is my pleasant task to tell you that four Winkling judges think that your sonnet is special.
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I'd say quite Shakespearean
in form with a well-developed volta at line 9. The first uatrain is a fine introduction to your subject. The next uatrain develops the watery environment and dolphin at play. The last quatrain is the counterdistinguishment to cavorting forever. Old age and memory loss. Yes, even for clever dolphins!
The rhetorical question ends this glimpse into the life and tourist accomplishments of Fungie in a plain but apt couplet.
[Watch line seven] -
Awww, I love to watch the dolphis but we don't realize how much they are in captivity. Then like showbiz, they are only popular for so long.
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Dolphin Legend
How some creatures take on an image that shows we must have conscience of nature and preserve and respect it , before it is all gone; this fluid sonnet reminded me of that, its loveliness and colorful weave brought
images of a happy dolphin in the sea.
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a delightful tribute to dolphin fungie, written with great sensitivity and compassion ... thank you for caring ...
maa
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yes...
...after your sonnet which describes him so well, you should put him in the hall of fame.
A lovely poem on a touching subject.
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Very nice sonnet, Bill, loved it, and the ending really made me smile,
nice one pal. Good luck in the contest,
Alex.
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