Monday, November 3, 2008

Sonnet

Write a poem which satisfies the following criteria:

1. The poem is exactly fourteen lines in length.
2. Each line contains exactly ten syllables.
3. Although each line has ten syllables,
- a. the poem does not sound stilted; it should read naturally;
- b. there should be no obvious extra padding to stretch a given line out to the required length.
- c. Except where you try for special effects, the line breaks should be at appropriate places, where natural pauses would fall.
4. The poem should be rhythmically homogeneous, without sounding mechanical or sing-songy.
5. The poem must develop one extended metaphor. For example, "The Silken Tent" compares a woman to a tent.
6. The comparison must:
- a. not be picked up briefly and dropped; it must be sustained and explored at length. It must for the basis of the poem.
- b. It must be fresh and surprising, not trite and obvious
- c. The comparison must, like the one that forms the basis of "The Silken Tent," have a point to it -- a point that is subtle enough to require an extended metaphor.

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