As I consider how my life was spent
so many years in tasks of small import
and think of how my own first fifty went
with little left to show, less to report...!
We view your many great accomplishments:
the family you nurtured through the years
of moves to live with distant lands' events,
retaining savoir faire in each career
assignment that your hubby might accept
in Moscow, Tehran, Kyiv, and Washington--
And there to learn the language, each adept
at Russian, Farsi, and Ukrainian...
We wonder where your next new home will be
but know your sonnets share expressively!
Author notes
Have a wonderful birthday, dear heart, a great big hug for you! Fifty, good heavens! It was Margaret who led me to join as a member at Allpoetry.
In a list
A contest entry
- Allpoetry: If you know MargaretG please enter. by Lyndon.
1780 points, ended December 17, 2007, 17 entries
Bronze trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 13 of 13
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Wow!
This is wonderful poetry with an informative Message for us here in AP who are aware of MargaretG. She doesn't know me, but I am going to get to know her better through reading her poetry.
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Thanks Ellis
MargaretG is one of the most amazingly prolific poets here, --not only that, but they are of the highest quality, true to whichever form she has chosen. For a long time, where it displays poems by our favourites, there was no space left every day for anyone else's. Kid you not, that's prolific! And if I may say so, a joy to know!
2 AM. Must go.
Terry
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How are you Terry?
For your readers: Vera refers to Milton's sonnet on his blindness: "When I consider how my light is spent ...."
Your sonnet, 'dear heart', also reflects solemnly, to a degree, and that is fair enough, as we Aussies say.
Your fractions are a quatrain; an octet and a couplet. Not a bad way to do it, here. Fine verse paragraphing, as it were. [One could quibble over the stress on the disyllabics, "import" and "report" ... but then I am not Canadian.
This sonnet unselfconsciously develops a small but important part of Margaret's life. If anyone has 'savoir faire', Margaret has it!
Thank you for this contribution. Ron.
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Paraphrased
"When I consider how my light is spent ...." became
'As I consider how my life was spent' knowing fully the reference would be obvious. Some of us need all the help we can get!
I'll accept your question on "import," for it is used as a noun, object of the preposition "of" but 'report' is correctly used as a verb (infinitive.) According to my Oxford dictionary, in words like import and report, verbs have the accent on the second syllable, nouns on the first. Indeed you should quibble: Canadian or not, with error I defer to dictionaries.
Thanks Ron.
Terry
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I agee with your statement and sentiment.
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And I thank you mightily!
Fun to watch them get out of phase!
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An excellent and well-wrought sonnet! A purist might quibble that - granted the allusion in the first line - the Miltonic, rather than the Shakespearean form might have been more congruent... but some people will quibble at anything - and for myself, I am happy simply to relax and enjoy this poem...
Except... may I PLEASE point out that, in accordance with the decree of the Supreme Council (Parliament) of Ukraine dated 14 October 1994, the correct spelling in the Latin alphabet of the name of the capital of Ukraine is KYIV. -
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Error corrected, with thanks
Thanks Vera, I should have remembered since Margaret spells it correctly, that it was not Kiev. Kyiv, Kyiv, Kyiv, Kyiv, Kyiv, Kyiv! Helsinki is finally correct (the Swedish version was used for years.) But you know how most place-names are anglicized and new maps will continue to be misspelt-- Even spell is really 'spelled,' I've been told, but not in Canada, or UK.
The Canadian Press (usually flawless) had a headline this morning: "Vancouver's Stanley Park shows signs of recovery a year after storm wrecked havoc"
Metaphor maybe, but the verb is "wreak."
I am delighted to see you caught the source of my inspiration--beyond Margaret herself-- Milton launched it!
Thanks again!
Terry
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A pleasure to read and enjoy...
Happiness here and I am sure Margaret loves this lovely poem!
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It's always a pleasure
to learn a little more about someone through poetry and so I applaud you for sharing a little about Margaret and her life. I have been enlightened as well as I liked that you shared your keen impression of what she has experienced throughout her first fifty years and acknowledged her talents with your poem. joy
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Nice work!
A wonderful rhyming tribute this.
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grins
Terry, you are so funny! "little left to show, less to report", indeed! You underestimate yourself, and overestimate me, but it is all so sweetly written, I will say "thank you"! 
Good heavens is what I say too, and thank God!
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Great write ...
and I'm sure Margaret will love it. Great background too, by the way.
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