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africa, beauty, creativity, earth, imagination, inspiration, international womens day, life, nature, poetic form, poetry, rwanda, sonnet, villanelle, women, writing
An Italian (or Petrarchan) Sonnet was my task for this week, and once again I have fallen in love! So now the Sonnet is my favourite! Only last week I gave my poet heart to the Villanelle, but now my thoughts are for sweet Sonnet alone. Is a poet permitted to be so fickle with her forms?
On a more serious note, it being International Women’s Day today, I turned my thoughts to my heroines…the mothers of Africa, or more specifically, the women in Rwanda who have been such friends and sources of inspiration to me. For more about International Women’s Day, follow this link:
http://www.internationalwomensday.com/theme.asp#.UTjS9Tez6Sp
For more about me and my connection to Rwanda, visit my other blog:
http://beathaandherboys.wordpress.com/
A sonnet it usually written in iambic pentameter. I grew up in Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare, so I lived and breathed this meter for years. A sonnet has 14 lines in total. There are various forms, and rhyme schemes that can be applied, and these are often different for the first 8 lines and the last 6 lines. I’ve gone with ABBAABBA CDECDE. You can find more details about the background and structure of Sonnets here:
http://www.sonnets.org/basicforms.htm
And here’s my attempt, in celebration of mothers, women and Africa! Enjoy:-)
She bears a year old child upon her back
Her body oozing sweat in vicious heat
A child beside with nothing on her feet
Walks in silence down the dusty track
No waste of precious words to voice her lack
The woman’s rod straight back shows no defeat
Her head held high she stops to meet and greet
For all are friends who walk this dusty track
A car pulls up to offer them a lift
She feels the soothing air conditioning
Her daughter waits to see what she will do
The man inside is offering a gift
He’s smiling now and beckoning them in
They walk on by, thank God her mother knew
And if you write a Sonnet yourself, do share it in the comments section, or send me a link.
See you next Friday for: A Rondeau
And here are links to the four previous Form Fridays:
https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/form-friday/
https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/form-friday-2/
https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/form-friday-3/
https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/form-friday-4/
wordsthatserve 
It’s great to challenge oneself – congratulations – if you drop in on my offerings I look forward to your comments.
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. Yes, it’s good to set goals that stretch us a little and give us new directions and experiences, which we can choose to repeat or not! Sure, I’ll drop by some time and let you know what I think.
Cheers.
A beautiful (if not slightly scary) sonnet, Harula. Here’s to International Women’s Day! 😀
Yay, hooray for women!!! Yes, it did turn a bit at the end, but it felt real so I went with it. I don’t tend to write dark/scary…but I’d like to learn to be more comfortable with acknowledging shadow in my writing. Life isn’t pink and fluffy ALL the time..mmm, just most of it!
Very true.
Much easier to befriend the pink and fluffy than that murkier shadow….
Indeed, and yet shadow gives light and life definition and character … and lets us know where the sun (and the pink fluffy stuff!) is:-) Thanks for your engagement and commenting – I’m enjoying your input very much.
I used to write poems when I was younger but not so much now, only occasionally from time to time but I love reading yours. Thanks for the follow, I’m loving what I’ve seen so far on your blog! Your passion for poetry really comes through!
You’re very kind – thank you! – and should you wish to share some of your own poetry on your blog I’d be delighted to read it. Blessings, Harula x
I shared the TED talk with my daughter who also enjoyed watching it. I have only written two ‘poems’ and they are based on my feeling for a dear uncle who passed away last year. I don’t write poems in any structured sense, just mainly based on expressing feelings at the time.
How lovely – I’m so glad your daughter enjoyed the TED too. I think you describe writing poetry perfectly ‘expressing feelings at the time’. That is the place from which most of my poems are born too, and sometimes I just let them come as they are. Other times, I give a bit more thought to structure, but only because I want to play and learn, not because I think a rigid structure or rhyme is necessary for a good poem – because I don’t. I’m going to watch the TED again, haven’t seen it for ages! Love and blessings, Harula xxx