"Stop! stop!" I cried, as New Year's Eve ran out
Into the night. The stars all winked with joy
And shimmered as they heard my frantic shout:
I had no resolutions to employ.
I stood and watched the dawn spread ruby red
As moon and stars turned white and fled from sight.
How could I face my fate? All hope was dead,
No quickest thinking now could heal my plight.
So listen all you stirring optimists,
While framing resolutions thick and fast
Arrange your thoughts like faithful conformists
And link tomorrow's acts to proven past.
For past and present are but future's plea
To keep the Earth alive for all to see.
Author notes
This is the 'Janus' theme - (a) and a straightforward Shakespearean sonnet.
Please tell me what you think
Comments
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Yes, it is a straightforward Shakespearean Sonnet with the addition of enjambment, the style introduced by the Romantics.
The trisyllables "optimists" and "conformists" unfortunately are differently stressed. You really cannot have a satisfactory rhyme with this arrangement.
Your final line sheets home your thematic intention or should I say that the final sentence (the rhyming couplet) does? The couplet is terse ~ which is a virtue.
Thank you for bringing this poem to our collection, here. Lyndon of the Winklings.
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Thank you for your very helpful comments. Yes, I had a problem with 'conformists' because there weren't any suitable rhymes for 'optimists'. I took the line of least resistance! Joy
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This is a good sonnet, the meter is clear and rhymes are Shakespearean. There is a good turn at line 9 where you address the reader, and good advice too. The couplet leaps from personal to universal, which I did not expect - though there is no reason that personal resolutions could not be about saving the planet. Thank you for entering this sonnet.
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A solid bit of poetry, with a good sense of rhyme and rhythm (although the second-syllable stress in "conformist" jars a bit with the first-syllable stress of "optimist"). And the couplet does precisely what the Shakespearean model urges--epigrammatic and summational.
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Hi Mum. A delightful write and message. Very good imagery, flow, rhyme and tone. Lovely depth of feeling. Good word choice, alliteration and nice assonance. Well penned and much enjoyed. Best wishes in the contest.
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A lovely sonnet you have written for us.
We will heed the warnings from this Roman God of Doorways
(I think?)
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Hi, wonderful sonnet, it was a joy to read, forgive the pun,aml Di
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Hallo, my friend. Many thanks for comments. Pun forgiven! mlj
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Wonderful! Janus popped into my head the moment I saw your title. Well done, great rhythm for this piece and message.
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Hallo Star Shine and thank you for your comments. They are really encouraging.
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