Sonnet For Regrets

In the Italian style

The moon does seem to mirror my regret,
with light that fails to brighten skies to day,
it cannot blot those stars, so far away;
those jewels I could not reach and can't forget.

And as the weak one in heaven's duet;
that pale comparison, shining so grey,
without the strength to forge it's own display,
those beams reflect resentment for my debt.

But should we ask the sun of jealousies
or failures through the years, when one's self-tasked;
I think we'll find regrets are not so rare,

when dreams to paint your face upon black seas
or glow with lovers on the nights they basked
are shattered by your own confounding glare.

Author's Note

Please let me know what you think.

Reviews

[William Michael Reeves]

Oooh! I really like this poem! Mixing celestial laws with emotional introspection. Now that I have a full understanding of meter I can appreciate the effort and skill necessary to write a poem as illuminated as this. Crepuscular light is enough when faced with self in the mirror.

Seems you resolved the octave by asking a question in the sestet, then answer, then qualify that assertion in the last half of the sestet.

[mattavelli]

Thanks for reading, Bill! :)
Ya, the turn comes with the sestet. Are you enjoying the form poetry?

[William Michael Reeves]

Writing sonnets hurts so good! A lot like sex. Just finished my first ballade yesterday. Almost as difficult. Richard's lessons, and his technique as a teacher, really illustrated what you had tried to help me understand way back. Meter, meter, meter! And then the punctuation! Such a satisfying pain in the brain.

You might get a kick out of the sonnet I wrote about Richard. Find 'Two Sonnets' on my second page now I think. The other one has some wordplay which might be a sonneteering no no. Advancing words. 'Once A Boulder' and 'Love Rings Fire' are recent. I have 3 cooling off in front of me now. Yes, I LOVE form poetry. Playing around with fusing different forms together too. The inspiration I found in your feedback is still in me. Thank you!

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

thankyou for entry into another competition, good to see you back, still love this, thankyou good luck

[Kathy Van Kurin]

'sonnet for Regrets'
mattavelli,
Your above writing is the page of nature which our souls write on. It's reflection of the heavens and the seas here below give a inspirational opportunity. The glow, the pulling of beauty invites the soul of man to ponder our own state. It is so wonderful to be able to examine our particular issues, our situations and look for clues to healing, to mending, to reconciliation with others as well. I love nature related foundations for human life as your poem was. I wonder what you might think of my writing too.
Beautifully done!
Blessings,
Kathy

[mattavelli]

Thank you for reading, Kathy! :)

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

ESP love last line thanks I love this beautiful poem thanks for entry into my competition good luck 😉

[Verse]

See, now, what I enjoy about this is the unusual but very well-chosen rhythm of this Petrarchan sonnet. The rhythm and the sonnet are great vehicles for this whimsical and indeed happy poem about regrets, moonshine and jealousy of sun. Beautifully laid out, this is philosophy and humour and smile and romance.
Well written, poet.

V

[mattavelli]

Thank you for reading, Verse! :)

[ElizaB]

Thank you for entering my competition :)

How fitting as well on the night of the super moon.

Your poem was great, I really like the description, the rhythm and the rhyme scheme.

This line in particular I liked:

those beams reflect resentment for my debt.

Thanks again!

[barleygirl]

It's a rare idea to think of describing the moon as being a weak light source, when most poets comment on the moon's brightness! I love it when a writer takes an uncommon point of view. In the first two stanzas, I was very much following this description & loving it . . . definitely well detailed . . . plus I was also thinking of your message as an analogy for the way some people don't shine as brightly. The last two stanzas represent a steady flow of good word-crafting, but it seems to expand the way this metaphor is being used & I'm not always too good at interpreting metaphors that branch out like this. But all in all, your message is compelling & relatable. Love the word choices being original & full of imagery.

[mattavelli]

Thank you, Barleygirl! :)
I'm bad with metaphors too. It's a bit like batman and superman. Batman lives a dark brooding life that seems full of regrets. Superman seems the golden boy, perfection and what not.
The last closing sections of this sonnet suggest that superman or the sun might also have unfulfilled dreams or regrets.

[barleygirl]

Now I totally get this . . . I was the shining star in a family of 9 kids. Becuz I excelled at things & won recognition (always working 3 times harder than everyone else), my siblings felt everything came easily to me & they resented me. They didn't realize I had the same deep problems leftover from our abusive childhood. Anyhow, I'm still reeling from these election results (which I know you are, too, becuz I love your latest poem on this topic). Thanks for the extra explanation, becuz I really needed to re-read your sonnet with deeper understanding (((HUGS)))

[Ted Kniffen]

Pity the poor moon. Unable to cast enough light to blot out regrets. I like this. A good write.

[mattavelli]

Thank you, Ted! :)

[Lorry]

We do indeed find that regret is not so rare, perhaps even abundant in this crazy little world of ours and what the mind makes of it all, or fails to could be more accurate :)
I really do think this style almost screams to be of regret, it is so well worded, as the lines speak of weakness, they grow in strength until the final line. Superb, as always Matt.

[mattavelli]

Thank you, Nemo! :)

[Lorry]

You're very welcome.

[Einstein Noodle]

clever ...intelligent sun and moon ...have to look up the Italian sonnet ;} .. so thank you for that .. i can not keep them all straight it seems .. great intro verse for me ...simple ..eloquent lead in ..and i really like the second verse .. "resentment for my debt" gives me pause ...it kind of returns me back to the beginning so as not to miss the thread .. and so in reading over several times ..each is more revealing, ...transposing ... who am i? but i think this is pretty superb stuff young man .. a fine read for me!
E.

[mattavelli]

Thank you, Einstein! :)
PETRARCHAN SONNET (pih-TRAR-kun)
An Italian sonnet form perfected by Petrarch (1304-1374), characterized by an octave with a rhyme scheme of abbaabba and a sestet rhyming variously, but usually cdecde or cdccdc. The octave typically introduces the theme or problem, with the sestet providing the resolution.
Sidelight: Longfellow's "Divina Commedia" and Wyatt's "My Galley" are examples of Petrarchan sonnets.
Ive tried three sonnet forms, this one, Spenserian, and Shakespearean. I prefer this one. The rhyme is more restrictive in the quatrains, but becomes less so with the turn.

[Einstein Noodle]

i have tried a few with help ..i know who to add to my help list now ;) a very fine poem you have here sir!