One Hundred and Fifty-Five Sonnets - 22. unruffled by any hand

These two sonnets are masterpieces. Shakespeare and Spencer need to go sulk in a corner.
Number 43: For you my heart beats in pentameter, What a beginning to a poem. The person you address cannot help listen and smile. But like the mark of infinity though, The terms go round and round without decrease, I particularly like your appeal to the mathematical idea of infinity. It isn’t merely the symbol, but the whole class of infinite objects and equations without limit that you call to mind in these lines; and the man you call to inspires those thoughts. Like light from an atom my soul release. Your fuel for my flame will never go out, And now you shift images to the nearly infinite energy stored in the atom. Then you shift again to the nearly ethereal…infinite? beauty of a motet. So in words I may seek the rhythm and rhyme, And joy that they are yours, and that you are mine. This couplet is as full of joy and love and desire as any ever written. It completes this gem as no other lines could.

Now to number 44. Where you are staying, fountains rush and reel, Shards of water fill rainbows in the air, I can feel the air shimmer with reflected light and jewels of water. And as you stand and watch, freshness you feel – On your body – but inside, you despair. The abrupt change illustrates the difference between outward show and inward reality. So very well done. You follow up to describe bleak unhappiness, hidden by a façade. Here you speak to my experience most directly, and I am compelled to acknowledge it. The next four lines not only represent the volta, but contrast fountains and movement with stillness and the deepness that go with quiet water. Those images stick, despite the shock of being exposed in the previous quatrain. The couplet is again a masterful summation – water moving, roiling, brooking no examination of the self below – but the knowledge of the true, deeply hurt self lies beneath.

Gosh AC .. these two are amazing. 43 full of love, desire and want that have no end. Beautiful.
44. The beauty of the water, it's brilliance and reflective nature hide something, and maybe only those who care enough to, will look deeper, past that beauty on the outside.
Two wonderful, splendid poems!

On 9/12/2016 at 1:25 PM, Mikiesboy said:

Gosh AC .. these two are amazing. 43 full of love, desire and want that have no end. Beautiful.

44. The beauty of the water, it's brilliance and reflective nature hide something, and maybe only those who care enough to, will look deeper, past that beauty on the outside.

Two wonderful, splendid poems!

Thanks for the support, Tim. It's nice to know today you were featured for your poetry; a GA first as far as I know. You deserve all the recognition you get, and levels of magnitude more!

I can't beat wonderful and splendid, so thank you once more for your praise.

On 9/12/2016 at 6:03 AM, Parker Owens said:

These two sonnets are masterpieces. Shakespeare and Spencer need to go sulk in a corner.

Number 43: For you my heart beats in pentameter, What a beginning to a poem. The person you address cannot help listen and smile. But like the mark of infinity though, The terms go round and round without decrease, I particularly like your appeal to the mathematical idea of infinity. It isn’t merely the symbol, but the whole class of infinite objects and equations without limit that you call to mind in these lines; and the man you call to inspires those thoughts. Like light from an atom my soul release. Your fuel for my flame will never go out, And now you shift images to the nearly infinite energy stored in the atom. Then you shift again to the nearly ethereal…infinite? beauty of a motet. So in words I may seek the rhythm and rhyme, And joy that they are yours, and that you are mine. This couplet is as full of joy and love and desire as any ever written. It completes this gem as no other lines could.

Now to number 44. Where you are staying, fountains rush and reel, Shards of water fill rainbows in the air, I can feel the air shimmer with reflected light and jewels of water. And as you stand and watch, freshness you feel – On your body – but inside, you despair. The abrupt change illustrates the difference between outward show and inward reality. So very well done. You follow up to describe bleak unhappiness, hidden by a façade. Here you speak to my experience most directly, and I am compelled to acknowledge it. The next four lines not only represent the volta, but contrast fountains and movement with stillness and the deepness that go with quiet water. Those images stick, despite the shock of being exposed in the previous quatrain. The couplet is again a masterful summation – water moving, roiling, brooking no examination of the self below – but the knowledge of the true, deeply hurt self lies beneath.

Whoa, Parker – the Shakespeare/Spencer crowd will be hunting me down with this kind of attention

As I mentioned in a PM to you, some themes in these Sonnets kept coming back around. Each time I felt I came close to the mark, but still had not said all I could about a particular metaphor. One such recurring motif relates to higher mathematics, so I'm delighted you connect with these. There are a few more like No. 43 coming.

Your summary of the ideas expressed in No. 44 seems about perfect to me. There's also an aspect to effervescence that recurs several times in the series. Here the transient nature of bubbles is explored.

Your praise and summation of both couplets brings a happy smile to my face.

Thanks for making my day, my month, and perhaps my year

Those both were perfect Ben. Just like the two sides of coin. One full of love and desire, as the second one full of sad and despair. Even though you compared the second one with the nature and all, but all I can see is a broken heart. The descriptions to show it beautifully made their magic and proved how great poem it is.

I loved them both and thank you so much for sharing these two combined... Wonderful poems Ben...

~Emi.

On 9/21/2016 at 11:36 AM, Emi GS said:

Those both were perfect Ben. Just like the two sides of coin. One full of love and desire, as the second one full of sad and despair. Even though you compared the second one with the nature and all, but all I can see is a broken heart. The descriptions to show it beautifully made their magic and proved how great poem it is.

 

I loved them both and thank you so much for sharing these two combined... Wonderful poems Ben...

 

~Emi.

Thank you, Emi! I certainly can't get better praise than 'perfect.' I appreciate the review, and your great support. Now I have to come up with a nickname that only I will use on you too…hmmmmmm….

: )