My First Sonnet

Since I have embarked on these Adventures a number of you have asked "Why?" A poet in the full grip of his Muse, when asked this least poetic of questions, might answer "Why not?" But as my Muse has stepped out for a smoke, I say "Why indeed?"

Is it boredom? A neurological imbalance? Poor nutrition? Revenge against high school English teachers?

Yes, it is.

Let's talk about the poet's craft! Occasionally, an admirer of my Art will ask "© Dr., where do you get your ideas?" and usually I answer "I steal them" or "go away" or "what ideas?" So instead of talking about where I get my ideas - let's talk about the poet's craft!

OK. Once you have a poetry idea you still need:

1) A vocabulary

2) A mold to put it in.

Such a mold is called a "form." Forms come in many forms. Today I'll consider the so-called "sonnet" form. As you'll see, I won't need to know what this means.

To illustrate what we've learned so far, let's "craft" a "sonnet" right now! We'll begin with the idea "sidewalks are hard".Then we'll take someone else's sonnet to be our mold. We'll then change the words - here's where the vocabulary comes in - until they express our idea instead of the other guy's. The sonnet I'll use is Shakespeare's #1 - which by the way being his first, was not one of his best.

And here's what we get!

My First Sonnet or Opus 10, We're Into Two Digits!

© Dr. Wes Browning

Of city benches we desire increase

That THERE our weary ends might ever lie.

Though as the benches may by time surcease

Our childish rears might share their memor-EYE.

But SIDEWALKS 'tached to thine own thick thighs

Feed'st thy light's flame with self-substantial fuel*

Making a sore butt where fatness lies;

Thyself thy foe, to thy sweet ass too cruel.

As that art now your prize, best ornament

(Though - Hardly - Herald - To - The - Gaudy - Spring!)

Upon thy own butt forsaketh thy conTENT

Your tender tush made waste by your sitting.

Pity the world, for lest these benches stay

Our precious ends will end as puree.

(*: I didn't understand this line so I didn't change it.)

Isn't that great? Try it yourself! Start from this sonnet or any other poem, use your own "idea" and you'll have your own brilliant poem in minutes. Or wait until next month and I'll you an even easier way to write poems! Until then, happy poesing!