One More Sonnet

Category: globalism

  • Your Better’s Best.

    They say: “the pen is more mighty than the sword”.

    I say: “let’s put that adage to the test.

    America, for union and accord,

    we need not greatness, just your better’s best.”
    .

    You need not be the greenest land on earth,

    nor the keenest prize in a treasured chest.

    America, I say: “for what it’s worth,

    we need not greatness, just your better’s best.
    .

    When you advance yourself beyond today.

    When you follow the sun from East to West.

    America, I say: “that come what may,

    we need not greatness, just your better’s best.”
    .

    America, in you we all invest;

    we need not greatness, just your better’s best.
    .

    © Tim Grace, 1 November 2024

    To the Reader:
    All of those “nice Americans” have let us down; they have surrendered to the darker side of their national character. A backward search for ‘greatness’ will only serve to lock-down progress towards a better state of the union. Vested interests have taken hold of America’s future. And sadly, they see the constitution, democracy, and the rule of law as mere impediments; obstacles to be avoided – a fool’s game.


    To the Poet:
    Sometimes, as a poet, you have to put aside literary conventions so as to emphasise what you really want to say. In this sonnet, I’ve drawn upon a range of literary devices to construct a rhythmic narrative that’s constrained (ABAB, BBBB, CBCB, BB) – anchored to ‘best’ which is the landing-point of each stanza and the final couplet. In this way, I’ve done my ‘best’ to make my point – I was conceived in America!

  • Vagrant Wordsmith

    Vagrant Wordsmith

    A dispossessed poet has no address.
    Vagrant wordsmith finds himself lost for words.
    Sunday morning solitude. More or less
    a Waste Land. Quarters apportioned in thirds;
    fractional allotments… absurdities.
    Occupied tables, multiples of six,
    or four, or two. Disputed territories.
    Unilateral remedies, far from fix
    an awkward treaty. Spaces between lines
    become expansive; attract attention.
    Diplomatic remedy realigns
    position; puts possessed in contention.
    . A poet in the margins, far from lost,
    . far from desolate; has his words embossed.

    © Tim Grace, 24 August 2014

    To the reader: Rhyme-inducing comfort zones are hard to find, and even harder to keep; context is everything. For years, I’ve sampled cafe cuisines in pursuit of an ideal writing ambiance. For the most part, a hotel’s ‘breakfast room’ seems optimal. As a large enterprise, hotels usually offer an affordable option of ‘tea and toast’. With passing trade, the regular change of clientele constructs an interesting sense of community; notable but not obvious.

    To the poet: If you’re outwardly observant and inwardly conscious the creative mind looks after the assembly of a poem. Once the mind is located and in-flow with the general gist of a theme it will mix and match its contribution of frames and reference points. That’s all very well, and easier said than done; practice and discipline are critical components of the process – and that presumes a conducive space to write. Conducive means interesting but non-distractive.

    Vagrant Poet
    Vagrant Poet