One More Sonnet

Tag: Events

  • Judge or Jury

    Judge or Jury

    To what degree, to what extent?
    To what does it refer?
    Do I agree, do I dissent?
    With what do I concur?
    Am I judge, or am I jury?
    Am I qualified to know?
    Was it grudge, or was it fury?
    Was it justified as so?
    Was it seen, or was it hidden?
    Was it cleverly disguised?
    Had it been forbidden?
    Was it knowingly comprised?
    . Confusion reigns in knots and tangles,
    . And no-one gains when judgement dangles.

    © Tim Grace, 28 November 2010

    To the reader: From confusion and dissent arises argument and in most cases some form of resolution; if not agreement. We’re often confronted with conflicting realities and multi-truths that sit uncomfortably side-by-side. When the distinguishing elements of a decision are to do with ethics there’s a moral dilemma in the making. Good versus good who’s to decide?

    To the poet: As with a babbling brook this poem ripples with small sounds. It has a surface level structure that channels the flow of words through a course of questions. The first twelve lines of the sonnet ask related questions; with an emphasis on the even lines. Following that cascade there comes resolution with the final two lines rounding off in statement; more than answer.

     

    judge or jury judge or jury

     

  • Faithful Reality

    Faithful Reality

    The reconstruction of reality,
    As captured in good prose,
    Is penned with credibility;
    So easily it flows.
    Natural to its bent,
    Truthful but not chained,
    Busy ‘yes’, but far from spent;
    Unstressed, and not constrained.
    With gently scripted phrases,
    That carve a natural course
    It’s generous with praises;
    And faithful to its source.
    .   Do what it takes, to make the words assemble,
    .   But if it shakes, let it shake … not tremble.

    © Tim Grace, 19 November 2010

    To the reader: A believable recollection if not fully true should at least be credible in its fabrication. The unpolished retell needs grit; not too processed, not too artificial. Reality needs to be plausible so that actions can be resolved through a logical sequence of reactions; consequential responses befitting a tale.

    To the poet: The fear of every poet should be false contrivance. Poems need to be designed and constructed. They need foundations and building blocks. They need to be braced and supported. What they don’t need is fabrication. They don’t need false imagery. They don’t need contrived comparison. They should need no force of will.

     

     

    faithful reality faithful reality

     

  • No Certain Gift

    No Certain Gift

    From high anticipation
    Swells a reservoir of need,
    In relentless expectation
    Dwells avarice and greed.
    With accumulated envy
    In sediments of must,
    There’s fear of what might empty
    And desiccate to dust,
    The certainty of emphasis
    Undelivered cuts a rift,
    And from this pool of promises
    There is no certain gift.
    . The hope of all wishes, is a dream come true.
    . Real or capricious, you can not make it due.

    © Tim Grace, 7 November 2010

    To the reader: Hope is not built upon a promise. That which springs eternal carries no guarantee of service or delivery. When ladened with expectation hope is prone to sour and curdle into a frustrated yearn; a nagging desire. Expectation stretches forward and as with rope can not be pushed.

    To the poet: Sometimes confidence overrides technical issues. The sheer force of short rhythmical phrases ignores a dubious rhyme; and to some extent, makes it all the more interesting. Each pair of lines, within the quatrains, works as one structure of meaning. And then, the meaningful pairs are tied together with conjunctives to form a single, and united, sonnet. A single piece of rope.

     

    no certain gift no certain gift

     

  • Chocolate Swirl

    Chocolate Swirl

    A chocolate swirl melts into self,
    Folds into resolution.
    Self-absorbed, it finds relief,
    And holds its constitution.
    Fluid, liquid, but hardly wet,
    With creamy distribution,
    Its cast is not yet set…
    No final execution.
    There’s a shimmer to its surface,
    A sugar sweet solution,
    A chocolate heart, a chocolate kiss,
    A lover’s institution.
    . A soft-centred lover, indulgent to the core,
    . A chocolate coated message, too delicious to ignore.

    © Tim Grace, 3 November 2010

    To the reader: The taste and texture of chocolate is its combined attraction. It’s a substance that is responsive to environment – hard and cold can’t resist a soft and warm touch. At that melting moment sensations collide; there’s a clash of riches: smooth dark and sweet. Chocolate is a substance with substance; a substantial treat, and a lover’s gift.

    To the poet: The ‘self’ absorbed nature of chocolate suggests gentle animation; viscous definition. The melting moment is enhanced by rounded sounds that fold together without the disruption of angular or edgy observation. The linking of love and chocolate is left to late in the sonnet … there’s a shimmer to its surface.

     

     

    chocolate swirl chocolate swirl

     

  • Play’s the thing

    Play’s the thing

    How do kids learn something new?
    They work with what they know.
    When novelty is theirs to view,
    It’s then their interests glow.
    For every child a different flame,
    From different sparks ignited,
    When play’s the thing, work’s a game,
    And kids will get excited.
    So fire them up with hot debate,
    Challenge them to think,
    Just enough to incubate,
    Knowledge at its brink…
    . Turn up the temperature; things will churn,
    . It’s steam, not water, makes the wheels turn.

    © Tim Grace, 30 October 2010

    To the reader: Curiosity generates children’s engagement in learning. Harnessing curiosity, shaping it, to meet the needs of education is a challenging task. Playfulness is an indicator of success. Curious children at play, solving open ended problems, is better still. When children learn to direct their playful minds towards solving real world problems then the sandpit has done its job. Schools, the sandpits of learning, need to be alive with meaning and challenge … gritty and real.

    To the poet: When framed as a question curiosity is channelled towards a conclusion. At the head of this sonnet is a simply stated question; one that invites the unpacking of what the poet knows about how kids learn. If there’s a message, it’s that learning needs a furnace, a source of heat that challenges children; fires them up to respond with new and creative thinking. The poem is therefore sprinkled with references to heat and light.

     

    play's the thing play’s the thing

     

  • Elegant Solution

    Elegant Solution

    In search of a strategy,
    A maneuver that’s adept,
    With an obvious analogy,
    That others will accept.
    An elegant solution,
    With a simple line of sight,
    A corporate contribution:
    That’s logical and bright,
    That’s possible; sensible,
    That’s ethical and good,
    That’s plausible, defensible,
    And easily understood.
    . A nifty, thrifty, plan of course,
    . A steady, ready, driving force.

    © Tim Grace, 28 October 2010

    To the reader: It’s the obvious that speaks most convincingly for it holds true what is familiar and evident. Unfortunately, the obvious truth all too soon becomes mundane and therefore tires of enthusiasm to drive new change. It takes a brave soul to suggest the obvious, however true; hardly the suff of enterprise and innovation; best not without good reason. Unless, that is, a fresh view of the obvious is drawn and gives rise to “why didn’t I think of that?”

    To the poet: It was important that this poem did nothing too strenuous. Its success relies upon a simple presentation of obvious poetic solutions; very predictable, very familiar. It was also important that having posed the issue as a strategic search for a plan it did nothing to deliver the proposition or deliver a plan. The search was seeking a strategy not an answer.

     

    elegant solution elegant solution