Sonnenzio

Kim Addonizio invented this form of the sonnet, calling it a sonnenizio. What you do is take a line—any line—from someone else’s sonnet and use it as the first line of your sonnenizio. You then repeat one word from that first line in each of the subsequent 13 lines. You end the poem with a rhyming couplet. 

In this sonnenizio of mine (which is a good two years old), I’ve taken a line from John Berryman’s second “Sonnet to Chris” and repeated the word “turn” in each line. I changed it up a bit, as you’ll see with “external,” “taciturn,” “turnstiles,” etc. I almost called this poem “Turnips and Tangerines,” but eventually realized that leaving it untitled would be better than calling it that. 

[As nude upon some warm lawn softly turn] 

As nude upon some warm lawn softly turn 
Your external gaze at the avalanche crackling 
Down the taciturn house. All bear the drag 
Of newly-polished turnstiles, so fearful 
Of the internment that tingling brings. “An 
Upturn in sales should mark the new calendar 
Year, but the public should beware the return, 
In April,” of easy nocturnes, lazy ears, 
Listening to nothing but Saturnian odes, or else 
Some stern warning about wasting your life. 
Consider me a turncoat if you will, but I know 
Where my loyalty lies. The turnverein is filling, 
Friend, with tiny-breasted women: advise my attorney 
Of our hasty plans to indict true love for eternity.

Pasted from <http://michaelschiavo.blogspot.com/2004/04/sonnenizio.html
My thanks to Michael Schiavo

 

Sonnenizio on a Line from Wendy Cope
I had this bird called Sharon. Fond of gin—
it could do the Gingerbread Man in different voices.
After a couple of gin slings, it could out-dance
Ginger Rogers from its perch. I played the harmonica
badly. Behind the scenes. Like noise from cotton gin
ruining the sunrise. I drank gin rickey until
I became a sore virgin, the losing end of a speech
impediment, gingivitis. It made me clean its cage
in my original D&G bathrobe and plastic clogs.
There, myna droppings juxtaposed gingersnaps.
The smell fizzed gin and tonic up my nose.
It called me names. It mocked me in pidgin.
Wretched bird. It even beat me in gin rummy.
Before the ginger cat ate it, I swear it said yummy.

Pasted from http://www.eclectica.org/v11n1/ang_word.html

 

Restated Specifications:
The Sonnenzio by be blank verse, or any rhyme pattern as long as it ends with a rhymed couplet.

 

My example

Price Elasticity of Demand (Sonnenzio)

It wasn’t that I didn’t think her fine,
It wasn’t that she wasn’t from my race,
It wasn’t that her father owned the mine,
It wasn’t that he kept me in my place.
It wasn’t that she acted like a snob,
It wasn’t that her father fired my dad,
It wasn’t for the nobs with which she’d hob;
don’t think that when she’d smiled I wasn’t glad.
Don’t think she thought I wasn’t fun to tease;
she teased all boys, it wasn’t only me.
Don’t think I wasn’t proud as punch to please.
I would have but her favor wasn’t free.
It wasn’t that a line formed at her door,
I’d settle for a less expensive whore.

© Lawrencelot – March 20, 2015

The following is the first line from a Black-Narcissus Sonnet:
“I wrote a folded sonnet in a room that wasn’t there”

See it HERE.

Elfmath Sonnet

This is a sonnet form invented by Jose Rizal M. Reyes of the Philippines.
Very Sestina-like.
The defining characteristic is that you must use repeating end words in the rhyme scheme of any existing sonnet.
It is stanzaic, consisting of three quatrains and a couplet
Or                                           two quatrains and two tercets
It is written in iambic pentameter.
It uses WORD refrains in every stanza.
 Example poem
To Write an Elfmath Sonnet
To write an Elfmath Sonnet poets know
that they will never have to search for rhymes.
A word will rhyme with itself, that we know;
repeating words (required), will give you rhymes.
This sonnet makes demands that we use words
To end a line, so that they may repeat
because by rule, they must! Repeating words-
the specs define just where they must repeat.
But since the author specified the choice
of options that now number only three
we can’t let complex rhyming be our choice.
We’ll rhyme seven, or two or four- not three.
Since every time we end with couplet rhyme
I’m glad that I enjoy said couplet rhyme.
© Lawrencealot – February 25, 2014
Visual Template
Note: I created the template and poem when I thought the word
Pattern Jose set forth were requirements.  They are not, they are
Only examples.  You may choose your own word pattern.

Arabian Onegin Sonnet

The author assumes the metric and pivotal requirements are the standard for the sonnet.
Onegin is pronouced Oh NAY gin

Rhyme scheme: AaAa BBbb CdC DDd
Meter: Consistent or iambic pentameter
Structure: Two quatrains followed by two tercets with a pivot or volta at line 9 or line 12
End-line Refrain Words

Example Poem:
Touch My Heart     (Arabian Onegin Sonnet)
When I can’t touch you just to show my love
I must find other ways I know, my love.
My acts must speak when pushing comes to shove.
That sense of loss I must now get ridof.
An illness causes you to seem remote
Ignorance let it make me act remote.
As sense of loss had grabbed me by the throat.
Your acts of love alone kept me afloat.
A selfish focus on my loss hid yours,
and fibromyalgia has no cures.
I must convince you dear, my love is yours.
Our music physically was but one realm,
but we’ve connected on most every realm.
We’ll let no losses ever overwhelm.
     © Lawrencealot – December 24, 2012
Visual Template:
JUST NOTED THIS WRITE DOES NOT CONFORM TO SPECS
THE REFRAIN WORDS ARE TO BE IN L1 and L3 a labeled.

Blues Sonnet

The defining features of the Blues Sonnet are:
  • a quatorzain made up of 4 triplets and a heroic couplet.
  • oddly metric, in iambic pentameter. This is in contrast to the usual blue stanza which is accentual, with a more folksy rhythm. 
  • rhymed, rhyme scheme AAa BBb CCc DDd ee.
  • it is composed of 4 Blues Stanzas, L1 statement, L2 incremental repetition of L1, and L3 is a climactic parallel of the first 2 lines.
  • pivot or volta should be in the last triplet. and ends in a declamatory couplet.
 
Example Poem:
 
November, 2012
Our country faces crisis we allowed.
My country faces crisis we allowed.
Our constitution has been disavowed.
With Czars a shadow government’s emerged.
Unchecked, a shadow government’s emerged.
Today our middle class has been submerged.
Our President wants full control right now.
The President wants full control right now.
Our freedom must be put aside somehow.
I write to share my fearful sad lament.
I want to share my fearful sad lament.
The takers want it all, and they’re intent.
We need to muster every thinking vote.
for gimme-mores we know will vote by rote.
(c) Lawrencealot – Novemeber 4, 2012
Visual Template:
Blues Sonnet