Mr.+B's+Sonnet

Mr. B’s Sonnet

This is my famous 30 minute sonnet. I literally composed it, start to finish, in 30 minutes. I don't say this to boast, but to emphasize that the sonnet is a manageable form. If you follow the formula and use a little imagination in word choice and word order, I am convinced all of you can write your own sonnet.

When I’m afraid that I might not achieve

The goals that I have set myself in life,

That all the praises I hoped to receive

Will go for someone else’s pain and strife;

When I consider what I've failed to do,

The words unsaid, the pledges unfulfilled,

How all my best laid plans have fallen through,

And all my grandest passions soon were stilled;

Then suddenly I catch a glimpse of you

Or hear your voice, or feel your hand in mine,

And all my fears dry up like morning dew

When sunlight cracks the night and starts to shine.

You are my greatest treasure, and you’ll be

My soul’s completion ‘til eternity.

*Note that each line has ten syllables, with alternating stressed and non-stressed syllables. I've used the Shakespearean rhyme scheme: abab cdced efef gg