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Poet's Notes:
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1. I have adapted the "sonnet form" to suit my own intentions and devices.
2. My type of sonnet is written in 8-syllable lines. Each poem may have between 14 to 16 lines.
3. I write them as 3 quatrains followed by a couplet, triplet or another quatrain.
4. Rhyme scheme is as follows: ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, and GG or HHH or JJJJ.
5. Besides the traditional end rhymes, I also weave an internal rhyme at the 4th syllable. This is a tradition found in Persian poetry, e.g., the rubai or rubaiyat -- and I have borrowed this unique feature.
6. All (with some exceptions) of my so-called "sonnet" poems are written as an Acrostic Sonnet. This means that the first letters of each line read downwards from 1st line to the last line is a phrase that you can decipher. Very often this is the Title of the poem.
7. I start with the outline or skeleton acrostic syllable on my iPad. I then write each verse line in parallel. This means that lines 1 and 3 are written first, then lines 2 and 4. I repeat this until I get to the final 2 lines of the couplet. Or follow-on with lines 15 and 16 in the same way.
8. I do not subscribe to Shakespeare's iambic pentameter because I find it very tedious and not suited to my own poetic fancy. I follow my writing impulse rather than a steadfast and mechanical rule that I must align myself with. I am consciously aware of creating poetic movement through feeling and logic. But I depend very much on my inner soul to express my feeling element.
9. I experimented with this style for many years (about three decades) first with couplets and quatrains. When I encountered the sonnet form, I adapted my own version of the 8-syllable to write this way. This is my signature style that suits my "feeling-thinking-expressing mode" when I write poetry.
10. I am a self-taught writer and I follow my own poetic impulses. I believe that rules of writing are essential. But rules should be broken to suit the writing scenario if there is meaning in the madness. This is how my poetic impulses come to me. I am merely the agent of my soul speaking.
11. My so-called "sonnets" require a certain writing discipline that keeps my thought-feeling mindset a constant challenge. It's never an easy task to write in this way. That's the beauty of such writes. It requires a deeper take and a curious mind to wander with wonder.
Hope this helps you, my reader-friend to better understand my writings. All the best then.