Jonathon Livingston Seagull – A Poem (A Heroic Crown of Sonnets)

1. The Breakfast Flock
To fly was so much more than flapping wings
and while the Breakfast Flock besieged the fleet
that chummed the water, Jonathon had things
to do ‘sides squawk and dodge and fight to eat.
The thousand gulls began another day,
their raucous screeching testimony to
their group-think need to aggregate that way,
for they could see no other thing to do.
Yet Jonathon would so much rather fly.
He lived to fly while others flew to eat.
He flew a hundred feet into the sky
and practiced learning a new turning feat.
A disgrace others would not take so well,
so tight a curve he tried, he stalled and fell.


2. Level Flight
So tight a curve he tried, he stalled and fell.
But unashamed, (though seagulls never stall),
he stretched his wings and tried again- as well
you note: he was not common after all.
He found that when less than a half wingspan
above the water he could float on air,
effortlessly, a most efficient plan
that let him glide most far without a care.
But others cared! His dad and mother asked”
“Why Jon, can’t you be like all of the rest
and leave low flying to the birds so tasked-
the pelicans who surely do that best?”
“Be like others, avoid the social stings
Conform,” they said, “try doing natural things.”


3. Being Obedient
“Conform,” they said, try doing natural things.
Jon really tried for several days that week.
He tried to wear his mother’s apron strings.
he screeched and dove and fought with wing and beak.
He flocked around the piers and fishing boats
and dove for scraps of fish and tossed out bread.
He chaffed against the ennui that promotes.
So pointless- he could learn to fly instead.
Deliberately he then dropped his fish,
a hungry old gull chasing him was pleased.
To learn to fly was Jonathon’s real wish.
and now the opportunity was seized.
I’ll not conform to nonsense they compel-
Nope! I’m going to fly and soon excel


4. Fixed Wing Flight
Nope! I’m going to fly and soon excel.
Alone again way out to sea, his need
to learn was something not to quench or quell
so practice was the plan, this week’s goal: speed.
He learned why gulls don’t make such speedy dives;
at seventy, the wings become unstable
on the upstroke. No matter how one strives,
that darn gull upstroke one cannot enable.
So Jon decided trying something man
had use, a fixed-wing for his fast descent.
He flapped ’til fifty MPH and then
held his wings still and only slightly bent.
From two thousand feet, plunging without lulls
he set the world recorded speed for gulls.


5. Speed Record
He set the world recorded speed for gulls.
exceeding ninety MPH- then crashed.
Unconscious still dreamed of lofty goals
and sought to solve that problem, unabashed.
He woke with wings like ragged bars of lead
but weight of failure was still even worse.
He wished he’d simply sink and end up dead,
for failures seemed his own repeated curse.
But sinking low he heard a voice within
“I’m limited by nature, am I not?
If meant for speed I’d have wings short and thin-
like falcons and would not have to be taught. “
He’d join the flock, and once again act right,
by accident he flew toward home at night.


6. Epiphany
By accident he flew toward home at night;
“It’s dark!”, an inner voice intoned, get down!-
seagulls you know, will never find that right.”
If you were meant to fly at night you clown,
an owls eyes you’d have – also charts for brains
and the short wings of falcons… short wings- wait.”
The answer pushed a rushing through his veins,
short wings has been the missing needed trait.
So, now he rose two thousand feet above-
“I’ll fold my wings and fly on tips alone.”
No thought of death- pursuing what he loved
he “knew” that he’d just found his new speed zone.
Re-born, rejoiced, this single seagull mulls..
he’d found the inspiration Flock-thought dulls.


7.  200 MPH
He’d found the inspiration Flock-thought dulls.
He dove, his wings now clamped against his side
it was as if some laws he would annul.
At such amazing speed it was a ride.
The faintest twitch of wingtips promptly eased
him from his dive, and shot him over waves-
a cannonball of grey- and he was pleased;
His vows abandoned for the life he craves.
Now practice was required and sun- up found
him up five thousand feet above the fleet
about to dive again and to astound.
And that he did in manner not so neat.
He’d learned to speed but hadn’t planned it right;
he just missed hitting flock of gulls in flight.


8. Banished
He just missed hitting flock of gulls in flight.
but learned that day to turn at speed, the loop,
the roll, the pinwheel, too to his delight!
The Council came together as a group
and shamed him for his acts! He was cast out.
He spent the rest of his days all alone
but that was not what sorrow was about,
it was their missing what they might have known.
The flock refused the glory learning brought.
They would keep scrabbling after chopped fish heads
while delicious fresh fish were easily caught
by streamlined dives beneath the waves instead.
Then Jon saw how good life could really be,
the flock then cast him out and set him free.


9. Years later
The flock then cast him out and set him free.
Two gulls as pure as starlight flew beside
him- friendly, smiling; their wings couldn’t be
an inch from his wingtips on either side.
He tested them. One knot above stall speed,
then dives slow rolls and loops-they matched each move.
They passed completely every test indeed
“We’re brothers came their words so strong and smooth.
We’ve come to take you home for you have learned.
One school is finished, yet another waits.”
At last he said “I’m ready”, and up he turned
with gulls he knew were heaven’s delegates.
He’d spend his life at mental freedom’s helm;
his freedom took him to a higher realm

10. The Elder
His freedom took him to a higher realm.
The same old Jonathon looked through his eyes,
but form had changed enough to overwhelm.
Seagulls here all seemed satisfied and wise.
“Chiang…”, (said to one soon to leave this world),
this isn’t heaven after all is it?”
“Your wings are not the only part unfurled,
my son, you’re learning and will never quit.
And heaven’s not a time or place at all;
it’s being perfect- barriers all surpassed!
You’ll find perfection, if such speed’s your call,
when going any takes no time. That’s fast.
Keep learning son, and you’ll begin to see
where nothing lays beyond reality.”

11.  An Instructor
Where nothing lays beyond reality
Jon let his love become his life’s new goal.
He found some others outcast such as he,
and assumed what was meant to be his role.
When Fletcher Lynn Seagull became his charge,
outcast because his dream was just to fly,
Jon felt an obligation to discharge,
Jon taught him how- and more, he taught him why.
For now, ’twas not for him alone he strove,
but for all blinded by their seagull-hood.
He sought to share life’s very treasure trove,
to teach the Flock their blindness was not good.
The mission seemed to some to overwhelm
one needed only guidance at the helm.


12. Return to Flock
One needed only guidance at the helm.
and Jonathon was now the one to teach.
“Your mind can go to any place or realm;
there is no speed that lies beyond your reach.”
To his eight students he announced, “It’s now
that we return to Flock.” Some anguish rose
among his group. “By law we’re outcasts, how
can we return?” Jon told them how it goes.”
“We’re not now flock, and where we wish we go.”
and thus they flew, a tight formation group,
they were perhaps the very first airshow!
The Flock’s unblinking eyes all watched the troop.
Apart but near the students stretched their wings,
within Flock’s view Jon taught his crew new things.


13.  Overcoming the Physical
Within Flock’s view Jon taught his crew new things.
One day with dangling wing a gull approached
“I want to fly, but flying takes two wings…”
“You want to fly, and so you will Jon coached.
And when he did, he screamed, “Look at me fly!”
A thousand gulls approached the training class
now eager to be shown just how and why.
Jon taught that ritual habits must not last.
For laws restricting freedom are contrived;
they served up order only at great cost,
and while the Flock continued to survive
the thrill of living freely has been lost.
When soul is free that’s when a gull’s heart sings;
To fly was so much more than flapping wings


14.  Passing the Torch
To fly was so much more than flapping wings
Your body’s just a picture in your mind,
Your spirit’s where reality now clings.
You’re anywhere you want to be, you’ll find.
When Jonathon left- thought himself away,
a student stepped into the teacher role.
And Fletcher knew that he too’d learn some day
and teleport to Jon on beach or shoal.
For while we’re here and now it’s also true
that now is also everywhere right now
and quantum physics makes up part of you
through multi-universes anyhow.
Enlightenment won’t come as soon for some
but living free will someday let it come.


To fly was so much more than flapping wings
So tight a curve he tried, he stalled and fell.
Conform they said, try doing natural things.
Nope! I’m going to fly and soon excel.
He set the world recorded speed for gulls.
By accident he flew toward home at night;
he found the inspiration Flock-thought dulls.
He just missed hitting flock of gulls in flight.
The flock then cast him out and set him free.
His freedom took him to a higher realm
where nothing lays beyond reality,
one needed only guidance at the helm.
Within Flock’s view Jon taught his crew new things;
to fly was so much more than flapping wings



© Lawrencealot – March 12, 2014

Author’s Notes:

Jonathan Livingston Seagull, written by Richard Bach, 
is a fable in novella form about a seagull learning about life
and flight, and a homily about self-perfection. 
It was first published in 1970 as “Jonathan Livingston Seagull — a story.”

Published March 12, 2014 on Allpoetry.com by Lawrence Eberhart.

Heroic Crown Of Sonnets: The Warrior’s Tale

She was a warrior with mighty sword,
A huntsman’s daughter, now she lived alone
Her parents dead, the lodge beside a forde
Was solely hers, the place that she called home.
The cottage bordered mighty forest trees
Whose trunks stood strong to guard the magic there,
For fairy kingdom stood under the leaves
Of sacred living tree, so gold and fair.
For many years the fairies had known bliss
Until a threat foretold became stark fact,
And so they came in search of mighty Miss
In hopes that they could make a fairy pact.
They came to her, resplendent on their wings,
They asked that she be champion for their king.

They asked that she be champion for their king,
Defend the realm and hidden golden boughs
Of tree that held all magic in its rings,
The key to all that happy life allowed.
They told her of the prophecy forseen
Of evil come to drain the forest life,
Of blackened leaves within the lofty green
Of hardship come, of famine and of strife.
She didn’t hesitate to heed their call
And strapping sword across her broadened back
Strode off with them into the forest sprawl,
Winding their way along the piney track.
Into the mists, that peace might be restored
She went with them to meet the fairy lord.

She went with them to meet the fairy lord
A king with greying beard, upon his throne,
At his right hand the queen they all adored
And to his left, the son he called his own.
The prince’s eyes were like the bluest sky
The maiden felt his call with single glance,
An instant flare of love bound them with sighs
And deep abiding ties of true romance.
He took her then to see the magic tree
Within a garden, beautiful it glowed
And underneath its spreading golden leaves
They kissed and sealed their fates, as true love flowed.
The warrior at heart, now felt the cling,
There prince and maiden joined by passion’s sting.

There prince and maiden joined by passion’s sting
But time was not with them, the threat was clear,
And barely with a chance for love to sing
The army of the trolls drew ever near.
The fairies, prince and champion marched to war
With armor bright and tireless winged steeds,
And pushed back at the army as they bore
Down on the forest home with evil needs.
And then from out their ranks came wicked mage
Who sought to drive the fairies from their lands,
And capture all the magic in bondage
So he could then fulfill his dreadful plans.
He drew his darkness, bold and with intent,
The mage would see all fairies in torment.

The mage would see all fairies in torment
Or so he wished, he thought he could not fail
His magic was so strong, the ground was rent
And cracks split earth along the grassy vale.
But warrior, she felt her anger spread
She cried for justice for the fairy ground,
And raising sword so high above her head
She rallied fairy troupes to gather round.
A magic came right forth, with silver light
The steel within her hands began to glow
She was surprised, but recognized the might
Of good that from the blade began to flow.
Embracing right, she stood upon the field,
The maiden had a magic sword to wield.

The maiden had a magic sword to wield
A mighty talisman to lead the fight,
And all the trolls around her had to yield
Or die upon her blade of silver light.
Across the bloodied grass she made her way
There in the centre faced the evil man,
He gathered in his dark to make her pay,
Dark clashed with light, and thwarted blackest plan.
A blinding flash illuminated all
A cry screamed out and then a quiet hush,
And from it strode the warrior, still tall
The fairies gathered round her in a rush.
The evil gone, the darkness had been spent,
Upon the field, the mage lay cold and bent.

Upon the field, the mage lay cold and bent,
Their champion had saved the land they loved,
The fairies so rejoiced and then they sent
A message to the king, with snow white dove.
The prince rode closely by her side with pride
And love swelled further in his fairy chest,
And he intended, at end of their ride
To ask her for her hand, and felt so blessed.
They came with triumph to the fairy court
And prince confessed his intent to his king,
But all his want it seemed was all for naught,
His royal highness refused his blessing.
They had their victory on the killing field,
But fairy king, for love, he would not yield.

But fairy king, for love, he would not yield
And prince was devastated by decree
His heart was to the maiden ever sealed
And without love he never would be free.
Then in the west, a greater evil grew
The mage’s brother had heard of his death,
And gathering an army quickly flew
To get revenge, even with dying breath.
They came so fast, the ground hummed with their tread
But fairy kingdom did not heed the signs
Their guard let down, they did not feel the dread
As they feasted and drank the summer wines.
But prince and maiden did not join the ball
They had found love, then seemed to lose it all.

They had found love, then seemed to lose it all
When king had said she could not be his bride,
So warrior returned home to the fall
Of passion’s hurts, and all alone she cried.
She grasped the mighty sword within her hands
And there on gleaming blade she saw the lines,
Within a twisting scrawl and lovely bands
Writ tale of once princess within the shine.
The tale was hers, she read with widened eyes
And knew the truth of power from her blade,
And saw that her upbringing was a guise,
Protection from a royal court betrayed.
She rose as princess from her lowly bed
She could not get the prince out of her head.

She could not get the prince out of her head
And he still pined, the loss made him a shell,
They both could feel the air, impending dread
Clung to the land, the magic wasn’t well.
The brother mage had gained the forest edge
And crept into the kingdom in the dark
And coming to the garden, kept his pledge
Touching his magic to the sacred bark.
The fairy kingdom heard the horrid cry
The sacred tree it wept and branches browned,
And all shook out their wings and took to sky
In defense of the fairy kingdom’s crown.
There was a deadly panic, lethal pall,
They had to save the kingdom, lest it fall

They had to save the kingdom, lest it fall
For without magic soon the land would die
But evil brother called his troops, they all
Swarmed over defenses with lofty cry.
The leaves upon the tree began to wilt
And lost their golden colour as they fell,
The land began to sicken as the gilt
Faded from tree, and evil came to dwell.
The fairies knew they needed champion
To help save them from their impending doom
And so they sent a herald to maiden
To implore her to help the sickened bloom.
They knew with certainty of horrid dread
She was the only one could stop the spread.

She was the only one could stop the spread,
She grabbed her mighty sword and ran to aid
Her anger swift, her vision clouded red
The magic thrummed within the steely blade.
She joined the fight, side by side with her prince
And cleaved the bodies of the troll army,
The clang of steel was rhythm to evince
The rage with which she faced the enemy.
The evil brother saw her power then
And saw to strike her at the very heart,
So gathering the magic of the glen
He aimed to tear the very world apart.
And there beneath the dying sacred tree
Brother brought prince with magic to his knees.

Brother brought prince with magic to his knees,
The maiden’s heart was torn there into shreds
And everything before her seemed to freeze
As prince fell down and on the ground he bled.
Her sword rose up, it flashed with blinding light
And smote the mage with all its raging charge,
Just as his brother had fell to her might
He died right there, a life no longer large.
She rushed to side of her beautiful man
And held him close and looked into blue eyes
He told her then how much he loved, the span
And while she held him in her arms he died.
With sweet prince gone, upon the floating breeze,
She knew right then a pain that pierced and seized.

She knew right then a pain that pierced and seized
And watched the blight spread from the dying tree
She saw that love was lost, would not be eased
But swore that princely death would set them free.
She drew her blade within his blood and joined
His soul once more to hers for final task,
And plunging steel into the ground conjoined
Her magic with his fairy blood at last.
The blood flowed strong and fed the sacred plant
The blush returned to leaves, the golden hue
And as the sun rose, beams in yellow slant
Brought warmth and life, the tree had been renewed.
The fairy kingdom had been saved, but cost
A prince his life, a love forever lost.

She was a warrior with mighty sword
They asked that she be champion for their king
She went with them to meet the fairy lord
There prince and maiden joined by passion’s sting.
The mage would see all fairies in torment
The maiden had a magic sword to wield,
Upon the field, the mage laid cold and bent,
But fairy king, for love, he would not yield.
They had found love, then seemed to lose it all,
She could not get the prince out of her head,
They had to save the kingdom, lest it fall
She was the only one could stop the spread.
Brother brought prince with magic to his knees
She knew right then a pain that pierced and seized.

Created March 2014 by Virginia Archer on Allpoetry.com.

Sonnet Redouble: The Gift

Sonnet Redouble: The Gift
(c) 2001 by Seanan McGuire and Batya “The Toon” Wittenberg


1. The First Slayer.
This is the Gift that only blood could buy:
Salvation in exchange for just one soul.
The Slayer does not have the right to cry,
And naught may come between her and her goal.
And this is why we don’t walk in the world:
We can’t wait for the waters to recede,
And while you say you’re just a single girl,
Sometimes a single girl is all we need.
This is the Gift that you alone can give,
Although that giving cuts you like a knife…
But sometimes only dying lets you live,
And giving Death reversed is giving Life.
……..You said you’d be a fireman — why wait?
……..This is the calm serenity of Fate.

2. Spike.
This is the calm serenity of Fate
That kills uncaringly as I once might;
No one to strike, or rage against, or hate,
No enemy that anyone could fight.
Just tears that scald like holy water’s touch,
Just choking sobs that burn like any cross;
I knew I loved, but could I love so much
That nothing’s left within me but the loss?
I told her once of her own kind’s despair,
I told her of the moment’s wish for death —
O, irony! — I told her I’d be there!…
My love for her as meaningless as breath.
……..In all the world who better knew than I
……..That every Slayer is only called to die?
3. Giles.
That every Slayer is only called to die
Is something we cannot deny or fight —
And yet I find that I still wonder why
We have to pay so much to serve the light.
Reluctant hero, called against your will
To save the world: your childhood was the cost.
I taught a little girl the way to kill,
And looked away when innocence was lost.
Forgive me for betraying what you were
To make you what your destiny demands.
I had no choice, my dear one, this was war;
I sometimes thought you didn’t understand,
……..But in the end, you didn’t hesitate —
……..This is the lesson that we learned too late.
4. Willow.
This is the lesson that we learned too late,
The hidden book we never got to read,
Why power to destroy and to create
Stands powerless against what is decreed.
My love, my friend, each lost within her mind,
Each wandering through all the myriad ways;
The desperate hope that she was there to find
Was all that led me through the lightless maze.
My love, against all chances, I have found;
My friend is gone to find a kinder hell —
And thus the final lesson is set down:
Forgive that I could not save you as well.
……..This foe, this fate, this fall, we could not share;
……..And now the future hangs in empty air.
5. Dawn.
And now the future hangs in empty air
With pain behind and greater pain ahead:
The walls between the worlds begin to tear
And will not heal again until I’m dead.
The shallow cuts that opened up my veins
I feel no more, though still they freely bleed;
The sky is torn and through it chaos rains,
My sister’s eyes are two dry wells of need.
Let lightning shriek across the tortured sky,
Let countless hells gape wide and swallow all,
Let all hope fail — she will not let me die;
I see her turn and run, and leap, and fall.
……..What power holds me here and lets her go?
……..And when did time become so very slow?
6. Tara.
And when did time become so very slow
That one could watch a thought pass like a cloud?
Big day today; there’s somewhere I should go,
Where I must go, as soon as I’m allowed.
I stumble through a fog of vague intent —
The day calls me! It’s time, it’s time and past —
Till love as pure as any sacrament
Burns fog away and brings me home at last.
And now she weeps, a world in every tear…
There is so clearly nothing I can say.
With all the lives that were not ended here
And all the hells now safely sealed away,
……..Perhaps there was no mercy left to spare;
……..They never said that destiny was fair.
7. Joyce.
They never said that destiny was fair;
I know there’s nothing more I could have done,
I just wish I could somehow have been there,
I wish I could be proud of what you’ve won.
Your sister — or, we felt as if she were,
Though she’s not real … it doesn’t matter now;
You promised me that you’d take care of her,
And so you did, and never questioned how.
They must have known about your destiny,
The ones who called you to this thankless task,
Yet never thought to warn your family —
Would that have been so very much to ask?
……..They never told us how the tale must go;
……..Perhaps they thought that we’d already know.
8. Anya.
Perhaps they thought that we’d already know
That this essential sacrifice was yours;
That in the end we’d have to let you go.
Perhaps we did — but what’s a hero for
If we must always bury them and grieve?
Too many lies and too much left unsaid —
Who told you we were done? Who let you leave?
Who said that you could go and join the dead?
I’ve learned of grief too recently for this.
You had to fall — who said you had to land?
Mortality is so damn hard to miss:
Some things I just don’t want to understand.
……..I didn’t know I’d have to watch you fall…
……..There are some steps that wishing won’t recall.
9. Glory.
There are some steps that wishing won’t recall;
It’s such a little sacrifice to make,
And every human dies, hon, after all…
Your gods made you too delicate. You break.
You say your sister’s waiting for the flood;
I say she’ll never come to save your soul.
The key to what I need is in your blood,
You’re just another thing I can control.
You never were the girl you claimed to be,
You only dreamed the life you thought you led.
This ritual will let us both be free —
Your death will stop the screaming in my head.
……..The life you had is over, babe; it’s gone.
……..Some lines just can’t be broken, once they’re drawn.
10. Ben.
Some lines just can’t be broken, once they’re drawn;
Some choices, made, can never be unmade.
I don’t owe her a thing, I’m just a pawn —
Why should she look at me as though betrayed?
I won’t be hers, and never asked to be,
And neither of us wanted to be born;
There’s nothing I can do — it’s her or me,
And I have drawn my conscience like a thorn.
I don’t know why I’m trying to explain,
Why I hold hope that somehow you’ll forgive;
Too much misunderstanding, too much pain,
Too little chance that both of us will live.
……..We never knew each other’s lives at all;
……..How could we know you had so far to fall?
11. Xander.
How could we know you had so far to fall
When we believed that you could almost fly?
You were the hero, always standing tall;
You were invincible! How could you die?
There is no justice here, this makes no sense,
This isn’t how the thing’s supposed to end —
What kind of world gives death as recompense
To such a hero, savior, fighter, friend?
I never could have set a nobler goal
Than being heart to your unfailing hand;
More than a team, we formed a single whole,
A whole now shattered, scattered in the sand.
……..How could the one uniting us be gone?
……..How could we know we’d lose you to the dawn?
12. Angel.
How could we know we’d lose you to the dawn
When I’m the one that flees before the day?
I always knew that one day you’d be gone;
Now tell me why it had to end this way.
I only held you twice within my arms,
But held you in my heart a thousand years;
Are there no simple lies or subtle charms
To bar this bitter news or stop my tears.
They told me we were warriors for Fate:
That if I kept you with me, you would die.
I let you go, and now I learn too late
Your death was one I never could deny.
……..This is the ending that I would refuse…
……..And yet the Chosen Ones can never choose.
13. Faith.
And yet the Chosen Ones can never choose —
They Call us and they use us ’til we’re killed.
They play us like our lives are theirs to lose,
And Call another once our blood’s been spilled.
Did you believe I wouldn’t feel you die?
We’re less than sisters, more than enemies,
And destiny has bound us, you and I,
To drown in battle’s hot and bloody seas.
We are Fate’s chosen weapon; just a blade
With which to kill, and keep their own hands pure.
It’s what we are that’s left us both betrayed…
Why can’t you take me through that final door?
……..They never let us question or refuse.
……..So far to fall. So very much to lose.
14. Buffy.
So far to fall. So very much to lose:
The world, my friends, my sister and my life.
My heart’s the only weapon I can use:
This sacrifice my last and sharpest knife.
My innocence by inches has been paid
To save us all and keep the world alive.
I won’t regret the choices that I’ve made;
I’d make them all again so you’d survive.
A final sacrifice is what we need,
So let the war and madness drop away:
I won’t regret this, even as I bleed.
This is a price that only blood can pay.
……..Please understand I loved you all — good-bye.
……..This is the Gift that only blood could buy.
15. The Gift.
This is the Gift that only blood could buy,
This is the calm serenity of Fate;
That every Slayer is only called to die,
This is the lesson that we learned too late.
And now the future hangs in empty air —
And when did time become so very slow?
They never said that destiny was fair…
Perhaps they thought that we’d already know.
There are some steps that wishing won’t recall;
Some lines just can’t be broken, once they’re drawn.
How could we know you had so far to fall?
How could we know we’d lose you to the dawn?
……..And yet the Chosen Ones can never choose.
……..So far to fall. So very much to lose.
 

 

Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England (Sonnet Redoubled)

Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England I

Born Catalina, regal child of Spain,
to two joint sovereigns of great renown,
she’d study various subjects and would train
in household arts where she could hold her own.
Her father Ferdinand by stroke of fate
inherited the crown of Aragon.
Her mother Isabel, an equal mate,
was ruling queen of Castile and Leon.
This union started Spanish unity.
Iberian Moors and Jews were then expelled.
Columbus sailed to famed discovery.
The empire burgeoned while its coffers swelled.
But Spain was never meant for Catherine.
She was destined to be the English queen.

¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨*• ..•*» ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸

Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England II

She was destined to be the English queen.
A treaty signed when she was only three
pledged the infanta to the Englishmen:
to wed Prince Arthur, heir and king-to-be.
Stuck four days in Corunna, weather struck;
the ships were damaged badly, one was lost.
Repairs for six weeks: what a stressful luck!
They sailed for three months to the British coast.
And now the English people were rejoiced.
The quay was teeming when they were to land.
The church bells chimed; felicities were voiced
by locals and by foreigners on hand.
The people loved the princess out of Spain.
All England cheered the prospect of her reign.

¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨*• ..•*» ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸

Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England III

All England cheered the prospect of her reign. 
She traveled through the English countryside.
A Negro trumpeter among her train 
announced her presence, quite a novel ride.
To Dogmersfield King Henry VII went
to see the princess earlier than he should.
So did Prince Arthur; everybody spent
the night in dancing, all in festive mood.
In London, trumpet blares and cannon booms
marked royally the couple’s wedding day.
The king dispatched to Wales both groom and groom’s 
enchanting bride — the people’s hearts to sway.
The princess stirred and charmed, whenever seen,
that strange new land she reached at age fifteen.
¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨*• ..•*» ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸


Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England IV
That strange new land she reached at age fifteen
was suddenly transformed from joy to gloom.
A sweating sickness fell upon the scene
and took the Prince of Wales in youthful bloom.
The princess too was ailed but she survived.
Her illness kept her bound to bed for weeks.
With special care she later on revived,
The rosy hue refound upon her cheeks.
Her marriage ended in a luckless lurch,
a teenage widow left without a child.
She was so true to God and to the church:
why was she now deprived as though exiled?
The king would marry her, which Spain denied.
First Arthur’s, she became his brother’s bride.
*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨*• ..•*» ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸
Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England V
First Arthur’s, she became his brother’s bride.
But first a papal bull should be secured.
“A man”, a canon law specified,
“can’t wed his brother’s widow” — in a word.
It was argued that Catherine remained
a virgin through her marriage, quickly ceased.
This meant it was not valid; she retained
the right to marry Henry, this was stressed.
The pope’s decision was favorable;
She was now free to be young Henry’s wife.
Till then her household stayed miserable
with not enough funds in support of life.
Old Henry journeyed to the Great Unknown.
Young Henry just ascended to the throne
.
¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨*• ..•*» ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸

Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England VI

Young Henry just ascended to the throne.
Reforms enacted made him most revered.
He freed the jailed; officials of his own
replaced the ones whom folks abhorred and feared.
His father left a hefty treasury.
The gifted son had varied interests:
Sports, music, writing, arts and industry. 
The English navy bloomed and faced its tests.
It was their happy time of married life:
A dozen years or so of mutual love.
The king was as religious as his wife;
Their partnership seemed blessed by God above.
Her royal pedigree was Europe-wide.
The Tudors’ right to rule solidified.

¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨*• ..•*» ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸

Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England VIIThe Tudors’ right to rule solidified,
Helped to a great extent by Catherine.
She was blue-blooded through and through beside
Her skills and virtues, fitting for a queen.
She even acted as ambassador 
Of Spain to England — five successful years.
Each winter she provided for the poor:
Clothes, fuel, money, food and goodly cheers.
To her the king confided, at the start.
There was no sign of any stress or threat.
He proudly jousted as Sir Loyal Heart:
He wore her scarf, his trophies at her feet.
The queen herself had claim upon the throne
Through her superior bloodline, little known.
¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨*• ..•*» ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸

Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England VIII

Through her superior bloodline, widely known,
Queen Catherine had royal English root.

From John of Gaunt she came down, on her own,
through two unquestioned royal lines to boot.
Her offspring then would have a solid lock
upon the English throne by right of birth.
Thus when a son was born, the land would rock
with celebrations, full of joy and mirth.
Alas, the Prince of Wales was not destined
to bring about a lasting happiness.
Child Henry died ere two months passed, unsinned:
a brief bliss, then an era of distress.
That she was luckless couldn’t be so true.
She gave birth to six children, quite a few.

¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨*• ..•*» ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸

Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England IXShe gave birth to six children, quite a few. 
On her third pregnancy, King Henry sailed

to fight a war in France; and to pursue
his claim upon the French throne, but he failed.
He won some battles though and thereby seized
some cities — thus regaining English pride.
But while away French allied Scotsmen squeezed
upon the border, movement quickly spied.
The queen was left as regent, so as head
she readied England for the looming fight.
At Flodden Field, the Earl of Surrey led
the English troops and put the Scots to flight.
With her six children, Tudor blood should thrive.
But three sons died, a daughter would survive.
¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨*• ..•*» ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England X

But three sons died, a daughter would survive.
That could well serve as fitting epithet
for Catherine whom Fate would soon deprive
of happiness despite her queenly feat.
To further establish the Tudor line,
The king was greatly anxious for a son.
Though rival claims had ceased or in decline,
New trouble might erupt if he were gone.
The king began to treat her dismally;
with people though, she kept her love affair.
The queen engrossed herself with charity
and raising daughter Mary as an heir.
For all her worth, she didn’t get her due.
The king diminished her in public view.
¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨*• ..•*» ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸ 

 

Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England XI

The king diminished her in public view
but Catherine remained quite popular.
He sought a male heir (with somebody new)
as to avert another civil war.
Since England never had a ruling queen,
so Mary’s prospect was a risky thing.
He asked annulment but then Catherine
rejected such proposal by the king.
His envoys now scoured Europe for support,
the pope’s assent most crucial to obtain.
And then the queen was banished from the court,
her old rooms occupied by Anne Boleyn.
‘Twas sad how so low would her fortunes dive.
But she behaved quite queenly while alive.
¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨*• ..•*» ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England XII

But she behaved quite queenly while alive
though fate and fortune shook her up and down.
In gracious times her queenly traits would thrive;
the bad times showed that she deserved her crown.
The people faithfully supported her
(while Anne Boleyn was vilified and mocked).
When riding out, the crowds would wildly cheer
that left the king and privy council shocked.
“Inciting to rebellion!” she was warned
with threats to move from London and her child.
The king had willed, the people’s wish be darned,
to void their tie through forceful means or mild.
She wouldn’t give up for material gain.
One final painful blow would yet remain.

¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨*• ..•*» ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸

Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England XIII

One final painful blow would yet remain.
She couldn’t just renounce her legal right

and that of Mary — oh, the mother’s pain!
Her means constricted, she pursued the fight.
Those siding with the king received rewards:
appointments, money and the monarch’s grace.
Those siding with the queen soon afterwards
were jailed, dismissed or barred to see her face.
The king’s “great matter” reached its peak at home
when Anne got pregnant, an affair of state.
The Church of England broke away from Rome
so that the child be born legitimate.
But ere the break,a secret wedded twain:
The king in secret married Anne Boleyn
.¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨*• ..•*» ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England XIV

The king in secret married Anne Boleyn,
his powers soon would span religion’s scope.
And thus began Britannia’s willful reign
that answered to no overlord nor pope.
But Catherine was just as quick and tough:
she’d writ both pope and holy emperor
that no war should be waged on her behalf.
She wrote not after schism — but before!
Her health declined with her diminished lot:
she’d moved to lesser castles, seldom seen.
Though she was buried in an abby plot,
the people still regarded her as queen.
The height of queenliness she did attain.
Born Catalina, regal child of Spain.
¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨*• ..•*» ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸

 Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England XV
Born Catalina, regal child of Spain,
She was destined to be the English queen.
All England cheered the prospect of her reign.
That strange new land she reached at age fifteen
First Arthur’s, she became his brother’s bride.
Young Henry just ascended to the throne.
The Tudors’ right to rule solidified,
Through her superior bloodline, widely known,
She gave birth to six children, quite a few.
But three sons died, ONE daughter would survive.
The king diminished her in public view
But she behaved quite queenly while alive
One final painful blow would yet remain.
The king in secret married Anne Boleyn.
¨*•.¸¸¸¸.•*¨*• ..•*» ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸

(c) Lawrence R. Eberhart and Jose M. Rizal Reyes -November 2013

Hyper Sonnet

This form was invented by  Marnie Kanarek aka  Hyper_Music on Allpoetry.
A chain of four tercets where
the first line is iambic pentameter,
second line is iambic tetrameter,
and third line is iambic trimeter,
and ending with an iambic pentameter couplet.  
Rhyme scheme is axa axa xaa xaa aa
 
Example Poem
 

Be Machiavelian Now

 The gimmee’s joined the takers to bring forth hell
for Americans who can think.
Obama’s  fortunes swell.
My liberal friends who thinks his win was  swell
STILL blame Bush and are quite amazed,
that the stock market fell.
The country that was so exceptional
will placate, those with rotten smell
who in cold dogma dwell.
The path from low to middle-class destroyed
by policies aimed to compel
hurting those who excel.
I must change tack, and join the thong and yell
for more and take it- hastening death’s knell.
(c) Lawrencealot – November 2012
Visual Template

Sonnet Rounds, Crowns and Sonnet Redoublé

Sonnet Crowns are simply a string of sonnets, each beginning with the ending line of the previous one and the final one ending with the beginning line of the first in the series.

A sonnet Corona is a string of 14 sonnets each of them starting with the last line of the sonnet before it.

A Sonnet Redouble’ is a similar series of 14 sonnets, followed by a fiftteenth made up entirely of the first line of the preceding 14.

I have found few in the the last decade and most are not truly composed of English Sonnets.

I have created a page that show all I have found.

 

 

Hybrid Sonnet

I am using this name to indicate the variations between the Italian Sonnet and the English Sonnet as early as the 1600’s with the purpose to forestall my inadvertently assigning the name of the form to a current poet who should use it.
C. Hybrid Sonnet
1. Rhyme Scheme: abba abba cdcd ee
[other variations: abab cdcd efgefg or
abab cdcd efefef or abba cddc effe gg]
2. Who Used: Sidney, Donne
Read Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”,
Example Poem
Holy Sonnet # 1 by John Donne
Thou hast made me, and shall Thy work decay?
Repair me now, for now mine end doth haste;
I run to death, and Death meets me as fast,
And all my pleasures are like yesterday.
I dare not move my dim eyes any way;
Despair behind, and Death before doth cast
Such terror, and my feeble flesh doth waste
By sin in it, which it towards hell doth weigh.
Only Thou art above, and when towards Thee
By Thy leave I can look, I rise again;
But our old subtle foe so tempteth me,
That not one hour myself I can sustain.
Thy grace may wing me to prevent his art
And thou like adamant draw mine iron heart.
The Holy Sonnets, also known as the Divine Meditations or Divine Sonnets, are a series of nineteen poems. Twelve of them were published in the 1633 collectionSongs and Sonnets; others were published in later collections.— Excerpted from Holy Sonnets on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Princess Sonnet

This form was invented by Allan R. Emery, aka Joe King on Allpoetry.
“The same as any Sonnet form as far as syllable count and end rhymes. The difference is that the rhyme is reversed for the first syllable (or syllables) of each line.
For example: An English sonnet is abab cdcd efef gg so in an English Princess Sonnet the beginning rhyme would be reversed: baba dcdc fefe gg (or hh, as you can use a new beginning rhyme for the couplet if you wish) where the couplet would begin and end with a rhyming syllable (or multiple syllables if you can pull it off).
An Italian sonnet would have an end rhyme of: abba abba cdecde, which would mean the start rhyme for an Italian Princess Sonnet would be baab baab edcedc (or baab baab efcefc). This will give the sonnet a cascading quality when read aloud. Often a rhyme will repeat as it ends one line and begins the next. Other times the two end rhymes of a quatrain will be next to one another as well, with one ending one line and the other beginning the next. Done with forethought, it will not be apparent that the sonnet is any different except to a very disciplined eye or ear. Yet, the rhythm and intonation that doubling the number of rhymes in a sonnet creates unquestionably makes the sonnet more like a song.
With this, An English Sonnet with a beginning rhyme is an English Princess Sonnet. An Italian Sonnet with a beginning rhyme becomes and Italian Princess Sonnet. Etc. If you wish, you can have the same rhyme begin and end each line, which would be a Mirrored English Princess Sonnet, etc.”
***** Notice that you can use 2, 3, or 4 syllable rhymes if you can pull them off. However, the most interesting would be the first syllable of the start rhyme and the last syllable of the end rhyme, hence: ‘Mental’ as a first rhyme would rhyme with ‘detriment’ as an end rhyme.****
Visual Template for English Version of Princess Sonnet,
with both front-rhyme options shown.
Visual Template for Italian version of Princess Sonnet

Tet Zayin Sonnet

The Tet Zayin Sonnet was created by Amera M. Andersen.  Tet Zayin is the Hebrew number 16
A new Form with a strict structure it does not have to be iambic. It has 16 lines or four quatrains.
Rhyme Scheme: Aabb bbcc ccdd ddaA

Rhyme Scheme: Aabb bbcc ccdd ddaA
S1=11 syllables
S2=9 syllables
S3=9 syllables
S4 =11 syllables
Last line is the same as first.

or:

S1=11 syllables
S2=9 syllables
S3=11 syllables
S4 =9 syllables
Last line is the same as first.

Example Poem:

Tell Me of Your Anger in Whispers (Tet Zayin Sonnet)

Persuade and convince with whispers in the night.
Speaking out in anger is apt to incite,
invoking defensive fight.  One should just wait,
make sure their words are clear; let anger abate.

An angry start assures a debate
Let’s solve the problem, not aggravate.
Harsh words once tossed out, fly like a spear.
You want concurrence, it would appear,

so wait and let anger disappear.
You convince me best when you are near.
If angered by blunder of my own
once I understand I will atone.

Between you and I no harsh words need be thrown
for granting joy to you, increases my own.
Tranquil ev’ning musings always turn out right.
Persuade and convince with whispers in the night.

(c) Lawrencealot – June, 2012

Visual templates:

Swannet

Swannet sounds like Sonnet.

This form whilst not the creation of the Canadian poet, Gloria Carpenter, it has become her trademark being used in conjunction with her elemental and avian photo studies in British Columbia.
It is a straight forward form comprising of 3 envelope stanzas and a couplet.
The rhyme scheme is .A1. b. b. A2… c. d. d. c… e. f. f. e… A1. A2.
The meter is not specified but is usualy tetrameter or pentameter.

Example Poem:
Tell Me of Your Anger in Whispers (Swannet )
When you are angry, words should be deferred.
If anger stems from blunder of my own
I’ll not be defensive to quiet tone.
A voice in dulcet tones is much preferred.
Perhaps, the words should simply disappear
for now, until your anger can abate.
There’s nothing risked delaying words that grate.
Unleashed, harsh words will travel like a spear.
We’re lovers so we want to get this right.
If you should softly speak of your despair
I will want to facilitate repair.
My love, use whispers closely late tonight.
When you are angry, words should be deferred.
A voice in dulcet tones is much preferred.
(c) Lawrencealot – November, 2012
 
 
Visual template: