Poem: Of Love and Choice

Of Love and Choice

Your love for me is like the hardest rain.
The warmth of summer, held in every drop.
This love, my hope – a dream I would attain.
But now I fear, this rain may fall and stop.

Your rain I know as love, can soak and drown.
The sun may rise to take its depth away.
To gain, to lose, to love so deep; letdown.
A shadow stalks. What does my doubt convey?

My love for you both hurts and overwhelms:
With joy of life, a priceless wine in taste.
To think that love resides in counter realms:
Inside, I know the pain, of love displaced.

To fear to lose or love so deep and pure?
For love I choose… the one I most adore.

Copyright Revised January 2012
Gary Pilarchik

How to Write a Shakespearean Sonnet: An Outline

A Shakespearean sonnet is not difficult to construct. The difficulty is in perfecting it. Your goal should not be… to create a perfect sonnet on your first attempt. Enjoy the creative process and have fun developing your poetry skills. I will present the basic style components of a Shakespearean sonnet. A sonnet in this style is also called an English sonnet.

Is it Shakespearian or Shakespearean? Don’t get caught and lost in all the details. Don’t stop your creativity from flowing because of a technicality. Have fun and write an English sonnet.

Here is Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare. It is in the format you will be learning to write. After all, he wrote it and made the style famous.

Sonnet 18

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed:

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shall death brag thou wand’rest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st,

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

 

Fourteen lines (stanzas, quatrains, couplet)

You have 14 lines to work with when creating a Shakespearean sonnet. Your poem will take the form of 3 quatrains and 1 couplet. This totals 4 stanzas. A stanza is a grouping of lines usually with a specific rhyming pattern. A quatrain consists of 4 lines. A couplet consists of two lines. Your poem will take on the form below.

Line 1

Line 2

Line 3

Line 4                 Quatrain One/Stanza One 

Line 5

Line 6

Line 7

Line 8                 Quatrain Two/Stanza Two

Line 9

Line 10

Line 11

Line 12               Quatrain Three/Stanza Three

Line 13

Line 14               Couplet One/Stanza Four

 

Rhyming  ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

You have to follow a specific rhyming scheme when constructing a Shakespearean sonnet. It looks like this ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.  Like-letters rhyme in this example. A rhymes with A and B would rhyme with B and so on. 

Line 1               A

Line 2               B

Line 3               A

Line 4               B               Quatrain One/Stanza One

Line 5               C

Line 6               D

Line 7               C

Line 8               D                Quatrain Two/Stanza Two

Line 9               E                     

Line 10             F

Line 11             E

Line 12             F               Quatrain Three/Stanza Three

Line 13             G

Line 14             G               Couplet One/Stanza Four

 

Iambic Pentameter  “da-DUM”

This is the beat of your poem. You can only use 10 syllables per line with an accent on the 2nd ,4th ,6th , 8th and 10th syllable. Do not confuse syllables with words. One word may have more than one syllable. It’s not as hard is it might sound. Iambic means foot or measure. The foot/measure of a Shakespearean sonnet is 2 syllables with a da-DUM beat/accent. Pentameter is used to describe 5 feet/beats. You can look at the da-DUM as unstressed (da) and stressed (DUM)

da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM  (this represents a line of  iambic pentameter) 

You notice 5 da-Dum’s which total 10 syllables. Each line must use this meter.

Here is a line from a sonnet I wrote specifically to illustrate this exercise.

My LOVE for  YOU   is  LIKE the HARD est RAIN (10 syllables)

da   DUM  da   DUM da DUM da  DUM   da  DUM

Notice all the words are single syllable words but HARDest. You can stress words with multiple syllables as you wish within creative reason.

 

Telling a Sorry (It’s not just 14 lines)

The 3 quatrains:

There are many explanations on how to tell a story using a sonnet. I suggest the first 4 lines or first stanza be used to set the tone or mood. It should let the reader know what is on your mind. I suggest using the next 8 lines or 2 stanzas to define the conflict, twist or point of tension. Remember conflict, twists, and tension do not have to be negative. 

However you choose to use the first three stanzas is up to you. The 3 stanzas can also be looked at as beginning/issue, middle/transition and conflict/dilemma. 

The single couplet:

You are left with the couplet which is the resolution of the story presented in the poem. The couplet is your summation and conclusion to your story. Have fun with it. You want to make sure you try and tell a story with a couplet conclusion when writing a Shakespearean sonnet. Do not write 14 rhyming lines that just describe love, anger, an object, a thought, etc. The Shakespearean sonnet is not 14 lines of descriptive poetry. It has a beginning, middle and an end.

Here is the first stanza of my attempt at a Shakespearean Sonnet. (It is not perfect)

My love for you is like the hardest rain.

The warmth of summer, held in every drop.

A love, I dreamed, I hoped I would attain.

But now I fear, this rain may fall and stop.  

(Notice how it has changed down below. It is important to just write.)

It is a quatrain with ABAB rhyme scheme. It follows the definition of iambic pentameter. There are 10 syllables in each line with a da-DUM stress when reading. Perfection is not the goal. Learning and having fun is the goal. I set the tone and begin to move to the middle part of my story.

 

Punctuation

You can use punctuation as you wish. I suggest you only use it to aid in the flow of the poem when read aloud. Essentially, punctuation should provide a pause or bring an end to a thought. Punctuation also allows you to break up your line. You don’t have to write a continuous sentence. Your 10 syllables can be broken up by punctuation to convey your idea and maintain the form of the sonnet.

 

Creating the Sonnet

The theme can be anything you wish but Shakespearean sonnets often take on the realms of love, beauty, immortality, or human life in general. I suggest doing a web search of sonnets to stimulate your creative process.

The best way to write your Shakespearean sonnet is to grab a sheet of paper and write 10 dashes on it with the da-DUM below the dashes.

_____    _____    _____    _____    _____    _____    _____    _____    _____    _____

da          DUM     da          DUM     da          DUM     da          DUM     da          DUM

My LOVE  for   YOU  is  LIKE the HARD  est RAIN

da   DUM   da   DUM da DUM da  DUM   da  DUM

That is your basic template to repeat through out your poem. Remember you will need 14 lines made up of 4 stanzas. This includes 3 quatrains and 1 couplet. Enjoy!

 

My Sonnet

I am writing a sonnet for this Knol. I will update this section as I create it. They take time. So don’t feel you must create one in a single sitting. Many poets take a year to finish a poem. Just have fun and get started.

2/19/2009

Stanza One

My love for you is like the hardest rain.         or  Your love for me is like the hardest rain.

The warmth of summer, held in every drop.

This love, my hope, a dream I would attain.    or  This love, my hope – a dream I would attain.

But now I fear, your rain may fall and stop.

2/20/2009
Stanza Two

This rain I know as love, can soak and drown.
The sun may rise to take its depth away.
To gain, to lose, to love so deep; letdown.
A shadow walks. What does my doubt convey?

 2/20/2009

Stanza Three
My love for you both hurts and overwhelms.
With joy of life, a priceless wine in taste.
To think that you reside in counter realms.

Inside I feel a shadow;  love displaced. 2/20/2009

Stanza Four

The fear of loss or love so deep and pure?
For love I choose… the one I most adore.

Edward’s Swan (First Version) 

Your love for me is like the hardest rain.
The warmth of summer, held in every drop.
This love, my hope – a dream I would attain.
But now I fear, your rain may fall and stop.

This rain I know as love, can soak and drown.
The sun may rise to take its depth away.
To gain, to lose, to love so deep; letdown.
A shadow walks. What does my doubt convey?

My love for you both hurts and overwhelms.
With joy of life, a priceless wine in taste.
To think that you reside in counter realms.
Inside I feel a shadow; love displaced.

The fear of loss or love so deep and pure?
For love I choose… the one I most adore.
Copyright February 2009
Gary Pilarchik



Edward’s Lost Swan (The final Verison 2/24/09) 

Your love for me is like the hardest rain. 
 The warmth of summer, held in every drop. 
This love, my hope – a dream I would attain. 
 But now I fear, this rain may fall and stop. 

Your rain I know as love, can soak and drown. 
The sun may rise to take its depth away. 
To gain, to lose, to love so deep; letdown. 
A shadow stalks. What does my doubt convey? 

My love for you both hurts and overwhelms: 
With joy of life, a priceless wine in taste. 
To think that love resides in counter realms: 
Inside, I know the pain, of love displaced. 

To fear to lose or love so deep and pure? 
For love I choose… the one I most adore. 

Copyright February 2009
Gary Pilarchik

Poem: Complicated Gardening

Complicated Gardening

Bring back
the simple summer day
Remove the sun
that burns my skin
And the air
that takes my breath

Return my
childhood worries,
the fallen rope swing,
afternoon rain,
and the doorbell
that went unanswered

Copyright August 1998 
Gary Pilarchik

Poem: A Lower Form

A Lower Form

Worms that wander and wiggle
From rain, they cross the road
Scraping their skin
Racing the drying sun
Feeding the feasting birds

They can not see where they wander
They do not know why the wiggle
The rain chokes them
The road wounds them
The sun burns them
The birds swallow them

They have no thought, no history and no blame
No reason to make this a better place
For they are only earth worms

And they do not predict the rain

Copyright September 2005 
Gary Pilarchik

Poem: A Garden's Beauty

A Garden’s Beauty

When color matters more - Do you see the dying blooms?
Don’t you know that flowers fade - into brown and yellow tombs?
Would you curse the purple flower, that stands in fields of white?
Nothing grows forever, and our darkness chokes the night.

Do you see the single flower - in a shade you’ve never seen?
Do you curse its vile fragrance and see the color as obscene?
When difference matters more - Do you know you'll turn to seed?
There is no flower like jealousy, but there is the human weed.

Within a field of flowers, there is color without disdain.
Every petal shelters - as they grow beneath the rain.
Even the purple flower, finds a home in fields of white.
Nothing grows forever, and our darkness chokes the night.

Is not a garden’s beauty found - mixed in colored hues?
Do you wonder if they laugh at us - Our ignorance must amuse?
For us, we think, we are different, but they know we turn to seed.
There is no jealous garden, but there is the human weed.

Copyright March 2006 
Gary Pilarchik

Poem: A Worn Shovel

A Worn Shovel

Of old and new
Against modern colors
I’ll take the taint of black
Edges so dull
Rusted blades
Carvings in solid stone

Breath of sunlight
In sightless shades
I’ll take mine pure and deep
Choking weeds
Unturned ground
Growing slowly tangled

Of showers and storms
Drowning with benevolence
I’ll take the purest fall
Soaking earth
Swelling seeds
A purpose to be enjoyed 

Copyright September 2006 
Gary Pilarchik

Poem: Directions to the Rain Barrel

Directions to the Rain Barrel

You might drink...

From the aged gray - black iron ringed rain barrel,
To quench your thirst from an early morning walk.

The one filled with a cool night's country rain.

It collects by the corner of the old cottage house,
By the climbing rose and creeping red dianthus.

Follow the moss and stone covered path,
Just past the clusters of mint and lemon balm.

The rain barrel stands with the daffodils and irises.

A cast iron ladle sits on the fence post.
Plunge it through the floating yellow rose petals.

And watch your feet! - the barrel is full from the night.

Copyright January 2012, Revised
Gary Pilarchik

Fence and Locks: Photograph B/W Film

Copyright 2013 Jenna Pilarchik B/W Film

A Lake Through Trees: Photograph B/W Film

Copyright 2013 Jenna Pilarchik B/W Film

Three Boats at the Lake: Photography B/W Film

Copyright 2013 Jenna Pilarchik B/W Film

60th Street: Photograph B/W Film

Copyright 2013 Jenna Pilarchik B/W Film

Poem: Sedentary

Sedentary

It is emptying now.

Aged framed beds
and rusting wire cages sit.

Onions and garlic struggle,
while others fade into the soil.

Once green vines now cling,
as sporadic broken dried pieces.

Half empty scattered bags,
loosely folded  - wait for spring?

Rusting tools huddle,
in the cold shady corner.

Old torn plastic flaps
and brown leaves seek to settle.

Even gardens mistakenly sleep,
when it is thought there is little to do.

Gary Pilarchik
Copyright December 2012

Poem: The Art of Being With...

The Art of Being With…

There are glimpses of perfection,
defined clearly as life’s purpose.

And there are eye’s that see this,
until they age away into adulthood.

Glimmers shine and shadows impose,
but mostly we fail to see what sits.

As age continues and eye’s weaken,
the glimpses return - though never gone.

It is the child and aged man that sees,
life’s purpose is the simplicity of being with.

And it is those between - that are blind;

Lost in defining, comparing
and measuring themselves.

Where finger paints and moments,
fade into possessions and achievements.

Where cost and stature become,
their muddled belief of perfection.

Copyright December 2012
Gary Pilarchik

Poem: The Death of Emily

The Death of Emily

I don't bother death.
Yet, death does bother me.

I think about it often.
To a point - obsessively.

I don't understand this fault,
as I dwell so easily.

Is it wrong for me to challenge?
Well come death, I'll disagree.

Gary Pilarchik
Copyright December 2013

Poem: Uncorked

Uncorked

Fresh, like the scent of pine.
Warm, like a third glass of wine.

The world seems less stale,
when you sip out of the cold.

Copyright December 2012
Gary Pilarchik

Poem: A Large Cardboad Box

A Large Cardboard Box

Let the wind blow simplicity back again.
Let it scatter and settle like October's leaves.
To be raked and bagged, like forgotten memories.

The kind if you shook hard;

might free
the comfort of
a lost childhood toy.

You know...

The one complexity easily took,
when the wind stopped smiling,
and laughter soon needed a permissive joke.

Gary Pilarchik
Copyright December 2012

Poem: Lost People

Lost People

Sincere perhaps but lost I'd say.
A ship adrift in a distant bay.
My body walks a wandering mind.
To search for things, to hope, to find.
Of peace, of beauty, a matching soul.
To walk with me, a midnight stroll.

Copyright December 2012
Gary Pilarchik

Poem: The Weight of Materials

The Weight of Materials

Do I succumb?
Am I not already drowning?
Beneath the weight and wares,
Of iron clad and chained materials.

Do I need - even more?
Beyond the boxed bulk I own?
To possess or to hold deeply within,
I will break the surface and breathe again.

Copyright January 2013
Gary Pilarchik

Poem: Fallen Trees

Fallen Trees

Love is jet black.
For it blinds on the bluest sunlit days.
It is a siren,
deafening sensibility,
of logic fed ways.

Love is pure ice.
For it topples a cleat edged wall.
It is a feather bed,
of gentle warm breath,
that breaks the fall.

Love is a mild poison.
For it aches the heart - constricted.
It is a soothing song,
of music unrestricted.

January 2013
Gary Pilarchik

Poem: Canvas or Stone

Canvass or Stone

To paint with colors?
So droll like white.
I'll sculpt your form,
in black of night.
To touch with fingers,
that warm - delight.
To shape and bend.
In sync - just right.

January 2013
Gary Pilarchik

Poem: Onset

Onset

If I slip too hard, the color changes.
And reality becomes draped,
in a dismal dismissive gray.
The kind that greets,
without a smile.
And one that comforts,
like a cold wet woolen sweater.

January 2103
Gary Pilarchik

Poem: Well Aged

Well Aged

In love,
I let the world drift.
Sunsets stream
and mountains lift.

In love,
I let the barrier fall.
Footprints crunch
and snowflakes fall.

In love,
a most vulnerable state.
A fevered walk,
through a mysterious gate.

In love,
perhaps once true.
Still unsure,
how I made it through.

January 2013
Gary Pilarchik