The Oldest Human Need

How far removed are you from loneliness?       

Would it be two relationships or three,

or is it one that holds your homeliness;

just one, thin soul to form the boundary?

Like spinning yarn our family and friends

become entwined, their lives enriching ours,

but when a strand unravels from, or rends

the whole we find ourselves with empty hours.

What insulates you from the vast alone

that tears through thoughts like clawing arctic wind,

its piercing cold, its heartless, raking  moan

that shakes and isolates the thickest skinned?

We don’t all need a child or a mate,

just someone who will wonder if we’re late.

One of the oldest human needs is having someone to wonder where you are when you don't come home at night.  -Margaret Mead  

Here is a sonnet, of sorts, for the final day of 30 days of poetry for the month of April. Woo Hoo!  

Here is a little sonnet for October:

October

October skies are smiling down on me,
And golden birch leaves counterpoint the space
With dapples against lapis lazuli;
The sun’s indulgent rays caress my face.
The earth reacts with bird and beast and tree-
Both blood and sap respond with changing pace.

At night October’s skies are clear and cold.
As evening falls the temperature does too,
And frosty fingers reach out to enfold
Each branch and blade and rock in frozen dew.
His winds displace and chase away the old
To leave a barren palette for the new.

So are these days more precious to the heart
For knowing they will all too soon depart?

Sonnet #1

Ok - here is the first sonnet of January! Whew (wipes back of had across forehead). Thank you Flash for suggesting only one per week! There are a couple things I'm not quite satisified with yet, but I'll let is sit for awhile, then noodle with it ('noodle with' is a very highbrow literary term, don't let it scare you, lol).
So without further ado, here goes:

Sonnet #1

Today I clean and organize and sort.
Three piles: to keep, or throw or give away.
Place like with like, is my silent retort,
It's best deciding quickly, don't delay.
Though there are heaps of stuff, I feel a sense
Of true accomplishment as I progress.
The burden lifted from me is immense,
The chaos wanes, then I declare success.
So outside me looks good, and order reigns,
But inside, my emotions are a mess-
All jumbled, cluttered, causing me great pains
I'm really at a loss, I must confess.
I've neatly dealt with my environment,
But can't get my emotions to relent.

As I said, there are a few rough edges...but it's a start!

January = sonnet/ dog vs. cat

January Poems:
So, I decided to concentrate on one type of poem, or maybe one theme per, month and it's time to decide what the first of the poems will be. I think I should start out with lots of structure, since I so desperately need structure and discipline in my writing. With that in mind I will concentrate on sonnets this first month.

Quick Review:
A sonnet is a poem 14 lines long, with a set rhyme scheme and meter. The meter is iambic pentameter, which is basically 5 units per line, with each unit made up of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. For example: Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? (W. Shakespeare)
For the rhyme scheme there are two basic types, Shakespearen and Petrarchan.
Here is a nice, clear explanation: http://www.poetrypreviews.com/poets/sonnet.html

Totally Random and Unrelated Thought: Dogs vs. Cats
Just something to think about...Female cats are referred to as 'queens' while female dogs are 'bitches.' That's why I want to come back in my next life as a cat! Besides that, dogs have to learn tricks, walk on a leash, go to the bathroom outside and sometimes wear demeaning clothes someone else chooses for them. Cats on the other hand do not. Their main duties are to look inscrutible, snooze in the sunlight and choose which, if any, mere mortals to bestow their affections on. So yes, while I love both, I would prefer to be a cat!

So, first sonnet soon to follow!