Wedge Tails

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Dennis N O'Brien

Wedge Tails

Post by Dennis N O'Brien » Sat Aug 18, 2012 3:22 pm

Wedge Tails (sonnet #5)

This morning of a sunny winter’s day
I saw two specks against the bluest sky.
On thermals circled predators on high;
Two floating flecks, they searched the ground for prey;
Carefree, and kings of all that they survey.
Do these great birds in joyous spirit fly?
Or simply soar to reach a place to spy;
How can we know? The eagles will not say.

And man who claims dominion from his birth,
In truth has not the freedom of these birds
Who gaze uncaring on the human herds;
On man the wisest creature of the earth.
But could they trade their liberty for words,
They’d surely judge their wings of greater worth.

© Dennis N. O'Brien, 2012

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Maureen K Clifford
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Re: Wedge Tails

Post by Maureen K Clifford » Sat Aug 18, 2012 3:30 pm

Lovely Dennis - just lovely. Loud applause from me and I totally agree with 99% of your sentiments. Are men the wisest creatures on earth?????? I would doubt that at times :(

I love your poem

Cheers

Maureen
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Rimeriter

Re: Wedge Tails

Post by Rimeriter » Sat Aug 18, 2012 3:39 pm

Mate - MARVELLOUS.

Sonnet No.5 ?

So there are others !!

Dennis N O'Brien

Re: Wedge Tails

Post by Dennis N O'Brien » Sat Aug 18, 2012 5:53 pm

Thanks Maureen and Jim.
Maybe not so wise at times Maureen. ;)
Jim: Yes I've started numbering the sonnets to keep track of what's what.

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Stephen Whiteside
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Re: Wedge Tails

Post by Stephen Whiteside » Sun Aug 19, 2012 8:25 am

Very nice, Dennis. What exactly is a sonnet?
Stephen Whiteside, Australian Poet and Writer
http://www.stephenwhiteside.com.au

Dennis N O'Brien

Re: Wedge Tails

Post by Dennis N O'Brien » Sun Aug 19, 2012 9:12 am

Thanks Stephen. Well I'm no expert by a long way but
basically 14 lines of iambic pentameter in either
the English or Italian rhyming pattern/patterns is common.
This is an Italian sonnet and consists of an octave and sestet.
(8 then 6 lines).
There are lots or variations on the above.
I've written one with 11 syllables in the sestet and I still call it a sonnet.
I don't know whether there are many "bush" poems written in this form.
Can't see why not though.
I've posted another one in User's poetry.

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Stephen Whiteside
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Re: Wedge Tails

Post by Stephen Whiteside » Sun Aug 19, 2012 9:28 am

Thanks for this, Dennis. I still don't get the appeal, though. What's so special about 14? I'd have been more impressed if you'd made the second verse eight lines also, following the same rhyming pattern as the first verse. Call me a pedant. (You wouldn't be the first...)
Stephen Whiteside, Australian Poet and Writer
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Dennis N O'Brien

Re: Wedge Tails

Post by Dennis N O'Brien » Sun Aug 19, 2012 9:40 am

No Stephen, I wouldn't call you a pedant, you'll have to be a lot
more pedantic than that around here to earn that tag from me. ;)

You just don't like sonnets that's all. If I did what you said it wouldn't then be
a sonnet, but then again perhaps I could and we could name it the
O'Brien/Whiteside sonnet variation - always wanted to be famous. :)

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Re: Wedge Tails

Post by Stephen Whiteside » Sun Aug 19, 2012 10:45 am

You'd have ABBAABBA ABBAABBA, wouldn't you - ABBAABBA squared, or ABBA to the power of four. There are some that say that one is more than enough, but I've always been rather fond of them. Are sonnets ever used as song lyrics?
Stephen Whiteside, Australian Poet and Writer
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Dennis N O'Brien

Re: Wedge Tails

Post by Dennis N O'Brien » Sun Aug 19, 2012 10:56 am

Ah... so that's where they got their name from. :|

Well sonnet means "little song" so I guess a sonnet could be sung
but don't ask me to do it. ;)

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