He examines my face with sympathy –
Although I am aware it is harmless,
My brain still reminds me differently,
Forever keeping me in the darkness.
He knows not of the lies I have spoken,
The times I had denied my past abuse,
Only for fear that he thinks me broken
I have chosen to sit back and confuse.
Lack of past love has left me innocent;
At first, I was quick to trust his promise,
Still, he stranded my mother impotent.
Now my eyes struggle, to see you honest.
So, I will not kiss you, that much I know,
Until your love for me is clear as snow.
About the Author
I enjoy the arts, mainly visual and performance. I am currently a student in TU Dublin, studying Drama (Performance). I have wanted to be on stage since i was small. However in my free time, I love to paint, draw and write my thoughts into small journals. I have never shared my writing before, so sharing this sonnet is a big deal for me 🙂
As most Shakespeare fans know, a sonnet is usually about love, greed, jealousy and everything that makes us human. My sonnet is no different. I wrote this sonnet for Valentines day 2020. It’s about a new love I was currently experiencing. A love that past me had never experienced. I compare the love interest to my father. My father left my mother before I was born, so I never got to meet him. So throughout the sonnet I speak of distrust, dishonesty and innocence. I explain my trust issues. I don’t want to give myself to another man, when the man who left my mother didn’t want me. I am afraid of the same thing happening again. I just don’t want to be abandoned.
Editor's Note
Taking on the Shakespearean sonnet form is no joke, and this young poet is to be commended for her bravery and ambition. It’s a very good idea to explore the classical poetic forms as you start your writing career – they restrict and challenge you to try new things, and take your writing to places you may not have imagined. I’m quite impressed by how this poet has managed to bring her voice out in this very restrictive form, and particularly how she has obeyed the convention of turning the poem on its head in the final two lines – the ‘volta’ of the sonnet. I think that she has been true to the form, to its traditions and intentions, while also letting the piece speak authentically about modern concerns and in a modern tone. Well done!
