Poetry tops the list of things I love. I’ve never had a chance to study it as an art form. The college I went to didn’t have much use for poetry. Nobody ever got rich from writing. I can make the statement they didn’t place much value on the written word as a means of expression. In my time there, only one creative writing class was offered every four years because it was a requirement for middle school teachers. I felt sorry for my professor. It was his last year before retirement. All my classmates did was complain. I decided to devote 2021 to writing different styles of poetry. Therefore, in February, I plan to write sonnets. I’ve titled this one New Orleans.
The sonnet form I used to write New Orleans
I used the style of a Shakespearean Sonnet to write New Orleans. There is a certain pattern used in one of these poems
First, Quatrain establishs the subject of the sonnet. It consists of four lines with a rhyme scheme of ABAB.
Second, Quatrain develops the sonnet’s theme. It also consists of four lines with a rhyme scheme of CDCD.
Third, Quatrain rounds off the sonnet with a rhyme scheme of EFEF. The ending couplet should act as the conclusion and uses a GG rhyme scheme.
The poet should use the iambic pentameter when writing a sonnet. I don’t if I can achieve this since I can’t walk and chew gum at the same time. Also, I will be recovering from having knee replacement surgery. My guess is pain killers will be involved. Hang onto your hats. This month’s exploration of poetry should be interesting.
New Orleans
Crescent shaped city on the banks of the Big Muddy
Home to dreamers, musicians, vampires, and lunatics
History as mysterious as it was dramatic and bloody
Unique culture unmeasurable with standard yardsticks
Funk music rising from the Quarter
Blending with Zydeco sounds in the humid air
Ancient architecture of brick and mortar
Street cars flow down Canal with lumbering Flair
Garden Distract with its opulent style
City Park out near Lake Pontchartrain
Treme where jazz was born to beguile
A city burdened with slavery’s part strain
New Orleans has never been a place proper and neat
The blend of so many cultures make it whole and complete
Who is Molly Shea?
Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh. To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.
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This was the perfect day to read this, great job