I shan’t thee to a summer’s day compare;
Thou lov’st not temp’rate climes I yet disdain.
Cold shake thy searing winds I find as fair:
For, over most creation, cold doth reign.
Yet burn thou bright and hot as Heaven’s eye;
And cold and dark, as dark is Neptune’s Lair;
And nary cold may pale nor fade to die
Thy nature’s spark so hidden unaware.
So is this edge infinity for me:
And shalt thou–changeless ’til the edge of time,
Whilst draw my breath, and know mine eyes foresee–
Remain, ’til death shall take me, in thy prime.
Then fades’ thy mem’ry’s pain; for few men see
Such life these lines contain, these give to thee.
David Emeron
This sonnet is part of a short, or
possibly at some point, very long
sequence; click here to read it all:
David Emeron: Sonnets 
A wonderful undertaking, this.
I really like your piece, dear, it is quite beautiful.
I look forward to the rest of the series but heartily pray we don’t have to experience the plague to bring it about.
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Just be careful where you point that wand….
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What, this little bent thing? No need to worry.
Anyway, calling down actual plagues is more in your familial bag of tricks.
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That is true. It comes from my mother’s side of the family: Calling down plagues; old-testament-style, exhortation–and you end up with a spotless kitchen floor at the same time.
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I would be happy with being able to call down spotless kitchen floors and leave the exhortations to those more discerning in such things.
I do love a spotless floor!
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My mother would no doubt have claimed that the floor was a fringe benefit–or perhaps the plague was the fringe benefit of the clean floor. And what is a French benefit anyway? And, furthermore, does it involve wine, cheese, and bread?
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Ah, my curious spouse. A French benefit is what is called a “fringe benefit” here. Company car and the like — unless one is using the term in seedy company of which I certainly wouldn’t know anything about. Then, I am told, it would refer to a different type of unexpected and extra-contractual acquisition. Let us allow it to rest there, my darling.
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Wait… what… we don’t have French Benefits?
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The Shakespeare blog was all about sonnets today. You might find it interesting
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Thank you. I read the article and the comments. I was even tempted to comment there, but I resisted. I have an unprovable theory involving Mr. Shakespeare’s sonnets. But before I will engage in any discussion of it with someone I set them a task of writing at least 10 short poems (not necessarily sonnets, but doing so would be additionally enlightening) to his (or her) former self.
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Mm now I’m intrigued! I may try your exercise.
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Please excuse the lateness of my reply. We have been travelling and this has been somewhat limiting in my access. If you take my challenge, you will not regret it, even if you do not see the things I tell myself I have seen.
To further clarify, if you write 10 or so sonnets, you may feel free to write them in the Shakespearean rhymescheme, which is the easiest (ABAB CDCD EFEF GG) or even works of roughly 140 syllables that do not rhyme at all.
Poems like Haiku are far too short to produce the effect of which I make mention. But… if you prefer them, I would suggest writing 10 short sequences of 7 or 8 haiku, and of course, these must be to your younger self.
After writing these and rereading them over several days, then read Shakespeare’s sonnets again. You will not have to read very many of them to see that to which I allude.
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