An Epistolary Poem, aka a Letter Poem - Settling a Score -- a Write for Friday Writings
My Dear Brother xxx,
You think my sonnets are non-conforming
as they should be eighteen ten syllable lines.
And the rhyming scheme should be abab cdcd
efef ghgh ii.
Mostly though I will continue writing what
I call "short sonnets" with syllable count
possibly from five to 11 or 12 syllables
here those are okay. Generally the meter
is constant but sometimes not. I am thinking
most are seven or eight.
And it probably will not be eighteen lines,
most time smaller.
BTW, I have Lingering COVID since March 2021.
I can hardly smell and taste. It also has made
my memory loss worse, especially names of
persons and places.
Plus my mucus collects as never before, lungs,
through, nose, and sinus. It seems the latter
has lessened somewhat.
And my balance has worsened, I'm using a cane
now to help me to walk in a straight line. I have
lost about eight canes, I leave them someplace
and someone else keeps. A few I get retrieved,
including last week. I will check for it at the library
come Tuesday; Monday is a holiday here in the
USA.
My neurologists think that I can blame some of
the memory problem on to aging. But to me that
memory problem is very annoying and embarrassing in conversations and writing, it also affects my keeping train of thought. I will be [many] come this October, I will cope, or try to.
Sorry also this became so long. Thank you again
for what I hope is leeway on the sonnets in giving
me a second chance with the writing, you are
most kind.
Yours always, Jim
_ _ _
- Poem Copyright, Jimmiehov 2023, All Rights Reserved
- I am linked with Magaly in Friday writing #82 with 269 words of Prose with a four-word Title/Greeting] at https://poetsandstorytellersunited.blogspot.com/2023/06/friday-writings-82-favorite-books.html
- Note that I opted not to us her prompt which would have been a lovely writing experience for me. This is new and never used before, but helped me to work off a small grudge.
..
Labels: dVerse prompt, Fiction, letter poem, Poem
posted by Jim @ 6/23/2023 12:04:00 AM
11 comments
11 Comments:
Well one of you is wrong! Sonnets are supposed to be 14 lines, not 18. But nowadays there are many wonderful variations on the form, including some shorter than 14 lines, which still somehow manage to deserve the name sonnet. You could tell your brother he's being old-fashioned!
You will be 90 Oh Jim than you are doing really weel despite a some memory loss. I had bad short term memory all my life and a naming problem on top of it because of learning disabilities like dyspraxia and dysnomia so I know its frustrating.
Very tender write methinks - I found this quite touching on the whole journey of life, twinned cleverly with the latitude in your writing challenges. Very original and telling...
Ah … the memory is a challenge, indeed, and writing helps. No matter the topic, your approach has always seemed so youthful and buoyant that I am very surprised to hear you are ninety.
From Helen: it takes a huge amount of courage to expose so much of ourselves ~~ you manage it with dignity and calm. Bravo.
90? I am a Libran too but not quite 90. You are doing really well. I am glad Marja mentioned your age because when I reread your poem I could not find it...thought I must be hallucinating:)
Rigid form hardly matters as much as the satisfaction you are still getting doing poetry, pushing through the challenges. Bravo.
That was so brave Jim ,may you still continue to write with better health 👍
Forget about rigid forms, Jim. You are doing well writing in your humor-infused style.
Your optimism is like your cane. You lose it then you regain. That is most important. Age is just a number. Agility is more a mental state. Humour is what pushes us through dreariest of days. It's sure you'll enjoy the vastness of life as always.
Sorry to read of the COVID complications. Sorry, too, that you felt a need to delete your comments on my blog. Very few things are worse than censorship, even self-censorship.
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