Tuesday, February 14, 2012

A Sonnet of Barred Shutters and Storms


Pale whispers sweep the dark to hidden shores,
Staid expectation murmurs on its lips,
but we have drawn the shutters, locked the doors,
Time will not dictate our fingertips,
for I must make a study of your eyes,
tracing the future of unfettered bliss
While yearning resonates in muted sighs,
I hunger for the flavor of your kiss.
Too long the regimental tick of clocks
has orchestrated the release of locks

Longing shatters the dam of rigidness;
The beauty of familiarity
enriches passion’s unrestrained caress,
Outside the day assumes normality…
…here oceans swell in unrequited fire
of flesh and blood; white horses of the sea
spawn unbridled indulgence and desire
We crown the pinnacle of ecstasy
while merchants, bound by meagerness of dust
redeem their petty dollars for its lust

Pale whispers escalate, intensify,
A quickened urgency ignites the calm
in raging rivers crashing from the sky
as heaven spills its timbre on earth’s palm.
Outside the servant treads toil’s beaten path
and dreams of recompense with glist’ning brow,
while here, we revel in the aftermath
of foaming tides receding from earth’s prow
The sky resumes a sleek, unwav’ring blue
We kiss away its salty residue

© Janet Martin

Happy Valentine's Day

Today's prompt: write a love poem or sonnet without using any terms of endearment or the word 'love'.







12 comments:

  1. I have only reached line 4 and had to stop and say how much I love the line!

    So many clever ways to be all about love and loving without using the word. And, I love the inside outside contrasts you set up.

    How on earth do you write so well, so quickly! That's rhetorical. I'm guessing you just do :-)

    I have the poem open next to the comment box and keep leaning over to read lines.

    Wonderful. I shall smile for hours.

    margo

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  2. Thank-you Margo,
    I made one quick edit; instead of stanza 2,
    'longing breaks the stiff dam', which did not roll off my tongue smoothly I changed it to longing shatters the dam...

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  3. Gosh, Janet, this is a huge project - not one but three sonnets, and the word love never mentioned.

    I think the first one is exceptional, and could stand alone, but the others complete the story very well, with a classic touch and wonderful marine imagery.

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  4. Janet, you're a constant wonder! Maybe you've written similar poems, but I haven't had the pleasure of reading them, this is the first one for me - stunningly beautiful, glorious!

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  5. "foaming tides receding from earth's prow" is absolutely wonderful — your words paint pictures no one else has even dreamed.
    A stellar effort, Janet.
    K

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  6. This is so beautiful..time will not dictate our fingertips...we hurry love just like we do everything else in our day...You have created a wonderfully moving poem

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  7. Amazing, I love it~
    I love the same line as Kay!
    "foaming tides receding from earth's prow" WOW, this was brilliant!
    Happy Valentine's Day to you n' yours~

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  8. Thank-you all very much!
    I wish you and yours a very Happy Valentine's Day!

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  9. A day late and a dollar short on this review....but it might help that I was amazed at the work you put into this sonnet. Maybe for you its not much work...but for me, this would take me two days, 11fingers and toes and a calculator. Stunning in message and form and perfect for the challenge.

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  10. "Time will not dictate our fingertips,
    for I must make a study of your eyes," BEautiful!

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