Printed out in 12-point type one after the other, they would reach about 210 feet. Useless trivia can be fun, yeah?
It does beg the question of Why. The effort could have gone into a novel and a lot of rewriting, and that would have had a far better chance of commercial success. Poems don't sell.
The answer's twofold:
- The structure of a Shakespearean sonnet forces my mind and heart into needed discipline; the rhyme and meter are fixed. When dealing with a lot of pain and fatigue, I find that this lends both strength and a sense of achievement.
- By far the majority have been written as comments to others' blog posts; well over nine hundred of that eleven hundred. It's thus a means of communication, since I don't get out, and no-one comes here.
I could also say that it's fun, because I don't know of anyone else commenting in verse. Who doesn't want to be unique?
And...I've had some feedback, that some of these poems resonated with some readers, and were important to them.
I mean, that's why I write.
And maybe, just maybe, I'll make formal poetry cool again.
Music from Gordon Lightfoot, with If You Could Read My Mind.
Thanks to Carol Ashby, Blessed Are The Pure Of Heart is back on Kindle, and will be available in paperback soon.
Friends are everything. I couldn't have done it.
Marley, the canine waif from Afghanistan, whom WE helped save, has a Facebook page! Please drop by to see how happy he is today.
Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.
I love your sonnets and have been inspired multiple times. Also, it never occurred to me that the ones you have left in comments, you would keep. Weird, I know. I found myself really happy you have kept them. The number is both motivating and impressive!
ReplyDeleteMisty, thank you! I had originally not saved them until a friend told me, firmly, that I needed to preserve this stuff.
DeleteYou have a gift and it would be wrong to waste it. It would be nice if you could compile all your poetry into a book, even though that sort of book doesn't sell well.
ReplyDeleteJan, thank you for this...they will eventually be turned into maybe three books, but not by me. My organiational skills are shot.
DeleteI agree with Janet, a compilation, even of some of the best ones, would be great Andrew!
ReplyDeleteLeon, it will happen...a very dear friend is curating what I've written. That job is now beyond me.
DeleteI know I would buy a book of your sonnets, Andrew, and I don't even like poetry. Somehow, your poems really speak to me.
ReplyDeleteElissa, you just made my day, and month, and year...thank you so much!
DeleteWatch this space - the poems will be available.