Sonnets

Introductions to Sonnets

About a year and a half ago, I tried my hand at poetry. It wasn’t the first poetry I ever wrote in my life, but it was the first time I thought maybe someday someone might read them. Here we are again, but while those were free verse, these are sonnets. Sonnets are a very rigid format that somehow let you go anywhere you want. Fourteen lines, every other line in a stanza rhymes, until the last two lines, which rhyme with each other. That’s not all, you have to have ten syllables exactly in each line. But even that doesn’t explain it, because iambic pentameter is more about rhythm too. Unlike my first poems, which were from the perspective of some of my characters, I believe that these ones will come from me. I’ve already written the first one; half months ago, half today. That’s probably not really how you’re meant to do it, but I think I ran out of time, and forgot about it. The idea was to have them locked and loaded before my last series ended, but when has that ever worked out for me? I’m more nervous about these than my last poetry series, since they’ll be about my personal life. The first one is about my first dog, and the last one will be about my current dog. I have no clue what I’ll write about in the meantime. As before, please be kind—I’m at my most vulnerable here. I think I’ve mentioned at some point that I am not a wordsmith. My strengths lie in the narratives; not the execution of the text. Still, I had to do these, because the math works out too perfectly. After today, there are fourteen days left this year before I get to my huge Mateo Matic project. It just made sense to write fourteen sonnets of fourteen lines each, and then likely never again. They’re obviously going to be short; nothing I can do about that, so the whole thing will be a quick read. Wish me luck.

When I Was Young, I got a Puppy Girl

When I was young, I got a puppy girl

I brought her home and gave her all my love

To me, Sophie was the best in the world

It felt like God had sent her from above

She lived outside and kept watch over us

But she could melt my heart with one sad glance

We’d let her in when she put up a fuss

The squirr’ls and rabbits would have one more chance

It wasn’t long before God took her back

I’ll never forgive her for all that pain

But Soph wouldn’t want my heart to turn black

So I try to be good and not complain

I always act with patience and courage

‘Til we meet again on the rainbow bridge

The Grass Will Grow Until I Mow Again

The grass will grow until I mow again

The rain will fall, and make it taller still

If it’s too wet, I can’t even begin

How shall my duty ever be fulfilled?

They tell me just to catch and throw away

To make straight lines like a professional

My lawn will look nicer, or so they say

But I think that’s just harder, and it’s dull

The clippings add nutrients to the soil

Which makes the baby blades grow big and strong

I know I said that this means endless toil

But it will be winter before too long

Of course, the snow, it needs maintenance too

But I could also just let it melt through

I Want to Lose the Weight That I’ve Accrued

I want to lose the weight that I’ve accrued

To melt the fat that’s made my clothes too tight

The problem is that I eat too much food

That’s no surprise to you—no rare insight

I have started a diet to fight back

It’s too early for it to have worked yet

Calories are the main thing my meals lack

But I could always find more; that’s the threat

The best thing I can do is just buy less

It will help save money while I’m at it

And that’s the key to relieving my stress

Giving all of my weight to my wallet

Temptation has been a slippery slope

But I think it might stick this time, I hope

There is Something That Is Wrong With My Life

There is something that is wrong with my life

It has been this way for the last five years

Each day that comes is like twisting the knife

Being stuck might just be my greatest fear

When I was younger I so wanted this

To be a part of something that would last

But now it’s come it’s anything but bliss

I wish that I could go back to the past

I work quite hard, but never feel quite pleased

I’m thinking now I should just go back out

And hunt for greener grass to feel at ease

But I’m sure once I’m there, I’ll find a drought

So I’ll just suffer until it all ends

Or ’til a Deus ex machina descends

I Was an Adult When I Learned the Truth

I was an adult when I learned the truth

Why I was divergent from everyone

I have been this way ever since my youth

It’s not like my struggles had just begun

I do not quite know why it took so long

But I had already found ways to cope

I could tell that people saw me as wrong

I just could not yet recognize the scope

I’ve never really come out of my shell

Or tried to make my brain work as theirs do

If you don’t like it, you can go to hell

Get woke, it is two thousand twenty-two

I guess I got a bit too angry there

I’m a work in progress; I try, I swear

It’s Like I Said, I’m Not Like All the Rest

It’s like I said, I’m not like all the rest

I don’t drink, or smoke, or poison my brain

That doesn’t mean that I think I’m the best

But I’m always me in spite of the pain

I have no place to go when I get lost

No way to leave my problems far behind

I dwell in them, and it comes at a cost

Yet I am nothing if I’m not my mind

Go ahead and take my legs, arms, and bones

My eyes, and ears, and tongue, and all my skin

My job, my money, and all that I own

I’d still say I was wealthier within

As long as I’m still me then I’ll survive

As long as I can think then I’m alive

There Was a Time When I Thought I’d Be Huge

There was a time when I thought I’d be huge

My words would be read all over the world

As it turns out, I’m nothing but a stooge

With my head low, like an achievemephobe

I say I’ve tried, but that’s not really true

I never put much effort into it

I queried agents, but only a few

I guess I thought I’d be an instant hit

But I see now, it’s time to get to work

To focus on the goals I hold most dear

To scratch and crawl myself out of the murk

And spread my voice beyond the blogosphere

I’ll still write here, and let you read for free

But I deserve to sometimes charge a fee

I Have a Multitude of Interests

I have a multitude of interests

While some of them are old, and some are new

Please don’t offer more, I don’t take requests

I know that you mean well, but it’s undue

Writing and TV are obvious ones

Others, like architecture are less so

But no, I don’t like sports, or cars, or guns

Don’t talk about them, I don’t want to know

A lot of things I like require cash

Most of the money I get goes to needs

When I make more, it is gone in a flash

And I’m left alone, trapped amidst the weeds

That’s why I love fiction; it has all things

But life could change by what the future brings

I Said Before How I’m Not Into Cars

I said before how I’m not into cars

There’s more to that, it’s rather personal

The troubles I’ve had with them have left scars

They’re the biggest problem with urban sprawl

They leak and break, and are always thirsty

They’re unsafe, and kill too many people

Yet they fetishize them so perversely

Or maybe they’re all just mindless sheeple

If I don’t see another car again

Then I would say that it was too early

I cannot wait for the brilliant days when

We get rid of the cars; don’t act surly

Build vertical, and take a lift instead

It will take minutes from your work to bed

Sleep Never Has Been Something I Do Well

Sleep never has been something I do well

I lie in bed and wait ‘til it’s ready

I think it’s because my brain can’t be quelled

I wish that my life could be more carefree

For others, it happens within minutes

But I’m lucky to fall in one hour

Waiting puts me at the end of my wits

I wish control was one of my powers

I’ve tried to take the pills, and meditate

I’ve tried to shut off screens, and just chill out

But this is how I am, it is my fate

I wish stress wasn’t all I was about

One day, I’ll lose my problems and retire

I wish it would happen soon, I’m so tired

I Tried To Cook a Simple Meal Today

I tried to cook a simple meal today

I gathered all of the ingredients

At least I thought I had the whole array

But not, judging from the odd mingled scents

I have been trying to improve myself

Getting my life in order and stable

I can’t just pull random food off the shelf

I’m careful with what goes on my table

Today I sure was not careful at all

Though I guess I always make some mistake

But as they say, I must learn how to fall

Then get up to find something new to make

To be honest, it wasn’t all that bad

Using sugar for flour’s the new fad

Someone Has Left Two Birds on My Nice Lawn

Someone has left two birds on my nice lawn

They are not meant to do that, it’s not cool

The birds stay there from dawn to dusk to dawn

They must think that I’m just a spineless fool

But I got my phone out to make a call

I told them, you best take these birds from here

The problem I have with them may sound small

You may think I sound joyless and austere

But I have the right to do as I will

With my own house, and all that surrounds it

That’s not your right, and don’t tell me to chill

That just makes it worse, I may throw a fit

If you don’t get these birds out of my sight

I’ll drive them to the dump, and strike a light

I Lost My Faith in People Long Ago

I lost my faith in people long ago

We are a selfish species, that’s for sure

There’s a reason to see others as foes

Evolution is strong, but there’s a cure

We can ignore our base instincts, it’s true

It’s possible to grow, and learn, and change

When you’re frustrated, don’t threaten to sue

Just take a break, or have a nap arranged

Most people are not wanting to attack

They live as best they can with what they bear

Conflicts arrive when trains must share a track

It’s not just that they hate you, or don’t care

I know some hearts are simply filled with hate

This simply means work harder to relate

When I Lost My First Dog, I Was Distraught

When I lost my first dog, I was distraught

I never thought I could love a second

Years passed before it was something I sought

Once I did, it was Daisy who beckoned

All of the puppies, they begged and they cried

Except for her, she just could not care less

The owner set the other dogs aside

And picked her up, my little crazy mess

On the ride home, I realized I’d been tricked

She wasn’t calm, no she was just as wild

And yet as we got acquainted, we clicked

She’s the closest thing I’ll have to a child

Sophie was basically my one best friend

And Daisy’s more my baby, in the end