Let’s be real for a moment. I’m getting kind of bored of coming up with themes every month. It’s not that I’ve run out of ideas; it’s really that I feel like my voice is drowning out any external potential for creativity. So, I’m asking for ideas. Leave a comment for what you think the next theme should be. Choose a poetic form if you like as well. It can be relevant to current news, totally abstract, or ostensibly mundane.

I also wasn’t kidding about reaching out to other poets and writers for submissions. I plan to do that this month. So, fellow poets beware: you will likely be hearing from me 🙂 I won’t get to everyone in one go, but if I happen to leave a comment on your blog asking if you’d like to participate, it’s safe to assume that I’ve enjoyed quite a bit of your work.

And now… more of my voice drowning out all others!

Diving into the Abyss

We’ve kept these themes fairly lighthearted thus far — even if their interpretations happen to be dark. But now, it’s time to pull the hood up over our faces and snuff out the candlelight; we’re going dark.

Theme: loneliness

Structure: Shakespearean sonnet

You may be looking at this theme-structure pairing and thinking that it’s a bit of a contradiction. On the surface, I would be inclined to agree with you. Shakespeare’s sonnets are most often associated with themes of love (also irony). But consider this: is the state of loneliness not merely the yearning for love? I find this a completely acceptable interpretation.

We have used a sonnet structure previously, way back in June, when we used the Spenserian sonnet to harp on nostalgia. The key difference between the Shakespearean sonnet and its later variation is in the rhyme scheme, as the Shakespearean sonnet uses three quatrains with alternating rhymes, and a final rhyming couplet: abab cdcd efef gg.

Check out this place for a way more detailed and comprehensive review of Shakespeare’s famed sonnets: http://www.shakespeares-sonnets.com/index.php

I won’t hold it over your head if your use of iambic pentameter is not precise (mine won’t be!), so what we’ll mostly be looking for is rhyme scheme and the traditional, 10-syllable lines.

Submit to redstringpapercuts@gmail.com for publication here, or publish on your own site, link back to Red Strings and leave a comment. I’ll be sure to reblog any poems published on other sites. And keep an eye out for my comments on your posts!

Steve D