© LAURA, by Suzette Richards, 11/11/2023
The argument has long been done to death:
Was Laura (my first kiss) only a dream?
A face in the misty light, it now seems.
At this sheath for poems, I catch my breath,
the crescent moon guiding my sword’s Moon Breath.
The dappled sunlight that filters in reams
and lights virtues I hold in high esteem.
A glimpse of reflections in shadows wreath’.
Then measure my words and count the syllables
like colour-coded beads on abacus.
Secret handshakes of the scribes with their riddles
that’s consonant with the tune it resembles.
I’ve now got cold feet – not worth the raucous.
Blow out the lights; put to bed all the troubles.
METAPOETRY: Poetry about poetry, especially self-conscious poems that pun on objects or items that is associated with writing or creating poetry.
***
By the title and the content of my poem, I allude to Laura (the woman to whom Petrarch dedicated his sonnets) and to Petrarch, the inventor of the sonnet structure that I mimic.* In lines two and three I further elaborate upon the theme of romance by including lines (rewritten) from the song, Laura, by Johnny Mercer, David Raksin (see the footnote†), therefore, expounding the lyrical quality of sonnets. Laura has thus become the metaphor for romance (the original genre of sonnets) when I ask: ‘Was Laura (my first kiss) only a dream?’; also the embodiment of the sonnet (meaning little song in Italian) in line 12: ‘… with the tune it resembles’. The subject matter of this sonnet is the conventional sonnet itself; thus, it is metapoetry.
In the fourth line I directly state ‘poems’ and include the poetic device enjambment (run-on line) between L4 & L5 which in effect is a one-breath delivery and contrary to ‘I catch my breath’. The reference to the ‘sheath’ in line four is the standard definition of the word, namely, ‘any of various covering or supporting structures that resemble in appearance or function the sheath of a blade’. This is an analogy for ‘having the knives out’, meaning the open hostility felt by some poets who feel pressured to defend their unique voice. I further reinforce this image by the mention of ‘my sword’s Moon Breath’. Moon Breathing mimics the moon and replicates it with the user's movements, techniques, and abilities. Most, if not all, known techniques and forms are standard yet varied swordsmanship techniques that focus on swift and powerful strikes that always follow the shape and pattern of a crescent moon. This in effect is a link back to the third line ‘A face in the misty light’, reinforcing the recurring metaphor of Laura.
I again employ enjambment between lines six and seven, but juxtapose (another poetic device) it against the preceding two lines. I liken the dappled sunlight to a large quantity (reams) that filters through, and this in turn shines on the virtues of many poets. Reams can also mean sheets of paper; a reference to writing, not only of poetry.
I wrap up the octave with: ‘A glimpse of reflections in shadows wreath’ punning ‘reflections’ literally and figuratively. This is a reference to the content of the octave and my reflections on sonnets as a whole, reinforcing the metapoetry genre.
‘Then measure my words …’: A direct reference to the volta, in the exact moment when this is required in an Italian sonnet. TIP: The required volta (turn) can usually be recognised by the use of certain words at the beginning of a line that heralds it, such as: then/if/so/but/however/as.
I continue the theme of measuring words, a reference to the metre to be found in poetry by performing scansion: ‘count the syllables like colour-coded beads on abacus’. Scansion is the method or practice of determining and graphically representing the metrical pattern of a line or verse—dividing it into metrical feet. Therefore, it is required to determine the stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of verse.
In line eleven I reference the many poetic devices available to the poet that are not always immediately obvious to the reader: ‘Secret handshakes of the scribes with their riddles’. The purpose of poetry is to speak to the mind, the heart, and the spirit, but the readers don’t as a rule concern themselves with the actual construction of a poem.
In line twelve I obliquely refer to the end liquid consonant ‘-le’ that ends lines 9, 11, 12, and 14, resulting in an additional syllable in these lines: ‘that’s consonant with the tune it resembles’. By the ‘tune it resembles’ I am referring to the rhythms to be found in poetry. ‘Consonant’ both means the consonants (as opposed to the vowels), and ‘in agreement with or in harmony with’. This loops back to the invitation at the onset of the sestet: ‘Then measure my words …’
In the penultimate line I confess to having cold feet, both an analogy and a direct reference to the metrical feet to be found in poetry. Furthermore, stating that it is ‘not worth the raucous’. Many a heated debate had ensued when the structure, rhyme schemes, and the metrical components of sonnets were discussed.
I sum up the sonnet with: ‘Blow out the lights; put to bed all the troubles.’ Thereby, advising that all the ballyhoo is not worth an iota of one’s time. This is in answer to the question posed in the first lines, linking it to the overarching metaphor of Laura.
I hope that you have enjoyed this blog as much as I had writing it. Your input is most welcome.
Happy quills!
Suzette
FOOTNOTES
*Italian/Petrarchan sonnet: Popularised by the Italian poet Francesco Petrarch in the 1300s, it is why it’s interchangeably called an Italian sonnet or Petrarchan sonnet. The Italian sonnet has 14 lines—divided into an octave and a sestet—that follow the rhyme scheme: abba abba for the octave, and cdccdc, or cdecde, or any other rhyme scheme for the sestet. It is of unknown metre.
†© LAURA
Laura is the face in the misty light
Footsteps that you hear down the hall
The LAUGH that floats on a summer night
That you can never quite recall
And you see Laura on a train that is passing through
Those eyes how familiar they seem
She gave your very first kiss to you
That was Laura but she's only a dream
She gave Her very first kiss to you
That was Laura
But she's only a dream
Songwriters: Johnny Mercer, David Raksin. For non-commercial use only.
[My italicization for ease of reference.]