Sample Sonnets

Here you will find samples of my favorite poetic form. I've been writing sonnets since my late teens though most of my early poetry was lost. These are from my first book of poems. Hope you enjoy them

The Heart’s Betrayal

I hear her voice and cannot help but smile,

I hold her eyes and do not need to speak,

I hear her laughter and life seems worthwhile,

I think of her and am bereft of sleep.

 

When she is near my thoughts are but a blur,

I feel contentment  and great tenderness,

When she leaves, even briefly, I endure,

An irrational growing emptiness.

 

I do not wish to love her, yet I do,

And recognize the pain that it will cause,

To one who loves me deeply, long and true,

And does not know of her potential loss.

 

Reason decries the growing love I feel,

Yet it is there, most powerful and real.

The Pages of My Life

I read the pages of my life so clear,

Its images dismissed as pains of youth,

And yet, though far, I see them all so near,

Relive the fear, hope, warmth, glimmers of truth.

 

Vague shadows visit me and leave behind,

Uneasy feelings draped in tenderness,

I see too well, yet wish that I were blind,

And fear above all else my truthfulness.

 

If only I believed that I could find,  

One path in life to follow faithfully;

How sad that knowledge can be so unkind,

And pain the wages of our honesty.

 

I'd gladly give my life for peace of mind,

Yet know in life it is not mine to find.

Secret Love

I've stayed too long, at least a week or two,

And now I wonder, can I leave at all?

Running away is all I seem to do,

Walking the edge, afraid to rise or fall.

 

We've shared a thousand secrets in a glance,

Poured out our hearts and watched them drain away,

Viewed the same dream, each through a separate stance,

Soothing our pain saw nights turn into day.

 

I am most vulnerable in your sight,

You leave no walls for me to hide behind,

You make me laugh, through tears, at my own plight,

And search for answers I don't want to find.

 

If there's one hope I'll cling to to the end,

It is that I may always call you friend.

Falling

How can I tell you, dearest friend of all,

What you have meant, and mean right now, to me?

Through deepest silence you can hear my call,

Your eyes see through my soul, set my ghosts free.

 

Weary, so weary, is this heart of mine,

Nor is there for me any rest in sight,

How can I feel so helpless and so fine,

Stumbling through darkness, bathed in steady light.

 

Such easy riddles I weave with a smile,

They need no sword to solve them, nor much wit,

Yet I've no answers, at least none wothwhile,

Only a puzzle whose pieces won't fit.

 

My writing, music and old friend are here,

Gone are my soul and my word, though, I fear.

For Devon Short

A little angel winks from up above,

The littlest fireman in God’s domain,

Bathed in God’s Grace, covered with His love,

Untouched by earthly cares, worries, or pain.

 

Too soon your race was done, Devon, dear child,

Only five summers’ suns warmed your sweet face,

And yet you brought much joy for one so mild,

To all who knew your smile, felt your embrace.

 

Tears mark your passing in a time too brief,

We wish God had less pressing need of you,

Your family struggles now to bear their grief,

Lord, grant them peace and strength their whole lives through.

 

Your spirit flies now high above the sky,

Lifted by love that will not, cannot die.

Author's Note: I wrote this sonnet on a sympathy card to my next door neighbors who lost their youngest grandson to tragedy when he fell in an old well while playing in his parents' rural property. His dad was a firefighter and Devon always wanted to be one as well. He was buried with his dad's medal of commendation on his chest. These many years later it still pains me to reemember this little boy so full of life, energy and potential. Heartbreaking.

Death of a Quiet Soldier

 

Behind enemy lines you gave your life,

The risks you knew and embraced willingly,

Red, black and green berets fought by your side,

And brought your body back to family.

 

Later in a ritual of their own,

They would name a field airport in your name,

And honor you, your brothers, far from home,

Their memory now your eternal flame.

 

I do not know your rank, your name, your face,

I only know that I am in your debt,

Who for your family can take your place?

Our debt to them we must never forget.

 

The freedom I enjoy comes thanks to you,

And all who serve with honor, proud and true.

Author's Note: My brother in law is a retired special forces Lt. Colonel and one of my personal heroes. He never speaks about his war experiences in some of the most dangerous places on earth, but in one of our conversations over charcuterie and Rioja wine, he related one rare tale about one of his missions behind enemy lines where one of his troops was killed. But no quiet soldier, as some special forces units refer to themselves, is ever left behind. May God bless them all and the families of those who make the ultimate sacrifice in service of causes greater than themselves: Country. Honor. Duty. And their brothers and sisters in arms.

Siren’s Song

Poetry is a dangerous siren’s song,

That calls the soul towards a chasm deep,

Dulling the mind and making the heart long,

For that which it may touch yet never keep.

 

A Sonnet is too much the friend of truth,

And leaves no room for self-deluding lies,

It conjures up the honesty of youth,

And artifice through artifice soon dies.

 

Essential truths will spill onto the page,

Transpiring through the pores of consciousness,

Leaving exposed the battles that we wage,

To build facades of hope for hopelessness.

 

I can deny the painful song I hear,

But it’s too late; its message is too clear.