sonnet

Beshadowed

Forever is black, black is forever,
moon disappears, changes black into moon–
nowhere is lost, afraid, travels nowhere,
soon returns itself to shadow–too soon.

Pretend to be endless, and then pretend
time is a circle without any time–
wind-condensed twilight rides currents of wind–
alive, passing through everything, alive.

Become the orbits as they now become
adrift, sepulchral echoes adrift
among whispers, a stillness caught among
shifts of always and evermore, dark shifts.

Trees grow into night silhouettes of trees–
mysteries surrounding life’s mysteries

I decided to take up the challenge Laura provided at dVerse to write a shadow sonnet. I admit, I started with an old sonnet I had written, but by the time I was done, it barely resembled the original. It needs more work, but it’s time to let it go for now.

Talk Like Shakespeare Today

What fools, what fools, what fools these mortals be
what fools to mimic riches glitter fame
what fools to in those masks refinement see
what fools embraceth folly without shame

Where every likeness hath its own deceit
wherein it looketh match to opposite
pretended twin to answer in repeat
the shoe that forceth toes and heel to fit

With voices like to painted artifice
with jaws that stretcheth into polished teeth
with promises that proveth meaningless
duplicity a smile cached underneath

And will the masquerade yet come undone?
I fear the jester killeth us with fun.

The Earthweal challenge this week is titled A FEAST OF EARTH FOOLS. Brendan has asked us to “Mix your human essence with another living entity”, in the spirit of the ancient seasonal celebrations that invite reversals, chaos, and ghosts into the world in order to transform it.

I’ve often written about fools, and decided to repost some of them this week, while considering how to answer Brendan’s invitation. It’s not a bad idea this time of year to consider the folly of humankind.

This poem was written in April 2016 for Shakespeare’s birthday, and Talk Like Shakespeare Day (yes it really exists).