One More Sonnet

Tag: The case of the missing sonnet unfolds

  • Beggars Belief

    Beggars Belief

     

    The case of the missing sonnet unfolds,
    layers of intrigue, yet to be revealed.
    One: the sonneteer vehemently upholds,
    that crucial evidence has been concealed.
    Two: he claims the sonnet (to date his best)
    was finished and the draft had gone to print;
    and three: as aggrieved plaintiff, he’d suggest
    the weight of evidence does more than hint
    that the crime was payback, a vendetta,
    a deliberate and well executed
    act of retribution; every letter,
    every word, in every way disputed.
    . Why take possession of what causes grief?
    . Such a transgression, it beggars belief!

    © Tim Grace, 29 September 2011

    To the reader: In November 2011, I’d got home from work after midnight. Left the car (work-chattels included) in the driveway. As chance would have it a cat-burglar took a shine to this opportunity and tried his luck. Through good fortune, he (I’ve assumed his gender) became the proud owner of my laptop, but obviously had no appreciation of poetry so left my notebook dishevelled on the back-seat. Thankful, I conducted an audit of my sonnets and so began the case of the missing sonnet … beggars belief!!

    To the poet: In the days of ditties, it didn’t matter much that one poem overlapped with others; the unfinished pile just grew like topsy. The occasional stand alone snippet stood its ground – mellowed – most have yellowed with age. Sonnets are different; they’re monogamous – jealous and demanding. While drafting a sonnet I never begin another. Occasionally I’ll jot down a note that has potential, but devotion to the moment is my discipline.

     

    beggars belief beggars belief

     

  • Missing Sonnet

    Missing Sonnet

    The case of the missing sonnet unfolds,
    Layers of intrigue yet to be revealed:
    One, the sonneteer vehemently upholds
    That crucial evidence has been concealed;
    Two, he claims the sonnet (to date his best)
    Was finished and the draft had gone to print;
    And three, as aggrieved plaintiff, he’d suggest
    The weight of evidence does more than hint
    That the crime was payback, a vendetta,
    A deliberate and well executed
    Act of retribution; Every letter,
    Every word, in every way disputed.
    . Why take possession of what causes grief?
    . What’s the obsession… it beggars belief?

    © Tim Grace, 29 September 2011

    To the reader: A lost object has the potential to be found; it’s not yet fully gone. Retrieval is usually a simple matter of retracing steps; upturning the obvious. Annoyingly, in the lost-zone, while it lasts, there dwells frustration and self-doubt. But, having acquitted yourself of simple misplacement there comes the temptation to attribute blame to others. They become the culprits.

    To the poet: This is the first sonnet, sequentially but not chronologically, to have fourteen lines loaded with ten syllables each. The first line also adheres to the pattern of iambic-pentameter with paired emphasis bouncing from heel to toe. It’s also a sonnet that, for my pleasure, reads across the lines as a single passage of thought. As structured, this sonnet works well as a self-contained package.

     

    missing sonnet missing sonnet