Lin Lane Poet Nonet

Notes About The Poem

William Kekaula's Double Nonet Contest

March 12, 2026

Sharp and Blunt

Sharp
the thorns
who draw blood
from feared fingers
approaching the blooms
Grand garden gatekeepers,
patient and poised guardians
Watchdogs for their botanicals
keeping sound every velvet blossom
Granted ~ butterflies and bees entry
Protective the thorns as sentry
Diligent, the rose's friends
Weaker as Summer ends
While a rose withers
thorns become dull
on frail stems
point less
blunt

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Laurentine G March 17, 2026 at 4:46 AM Congratulations on your winning nonet Lin! I enjoyed our little nonet trending Choo Choo train! Lin Lane March 17, 2026 at 7:51 AM I'll have to check out the list. Thanks for coming onboard. Next time we'll book the caboose and have a party! Capturing the proper shape is the most frustrating part... but it makes it worth it if it's done right.

Tom Cunningham March 12, 2026 at 11:36 AM You paint a delightful summer scene with words Lin, then the guards stand down as no longer needed as autumn creeps in. Tom. Lin Lane March 12, 2026 at 1:41 PM Thank you, Tom. Sometimes my word paintings are more recognizable than my acrylics or watercolors. Experimenting with abstract watercolors tries my patience.

Lioness Onpaper March 12, 2026 at 11:12 AM Granting butterflies and bees entry Protective the thorns as sentry Diligent,.. looove tha line.. gorgeous nonet.. Lin Lane March 12, 2026 at 11:32 AM Merci for the kindness of your comments, Lioness. Like the thorns, we protect the fragile ones.

Daniel Henry Rodgers March 12, 2026 at 6:35 AM Dear Lin, oh the thought that when summer ends and the rose withers, the thorns don’t just lose their sharpness, they lose their meaning. Without a "velvet blossom" to protect, the sentry has no post to guard. A hauntingly beautiful metaphor for how we often lose our own edges when what we love most begins to fade. Sad but true. Blessings, Daniel Lin Lane March 12, 2026 at 7:05 AM Thanks so much for the visions you so clearly interpret in these lines, Daniel. You see beyond the rose, beyond the thorn. Everything fades but what we once held dear is preserved in memory. Maturity offers us a window from which we can visit the past... when we were filled with vigor and beauty. It's all in the mind's eye and the heart's emotions.

David Kavanagh March 12, 2026 at 6:21 AM You are a natural when it comes to nonets Lin, some beautiful pointed imagery in this piece, yet delicately delivered with butterflies and bees granted entry by the sentry, shame the rose has to wither, but will be renewed for another cycle through life! Impeccable syllable count and shape! Cheers David Lin Lane March 12, 2026 at 7:04 AM I'm only naturally determined not to let the frustrating form get the better of me. LOL I think using nature gave me leeway to write this one. There are so many paths we can wander down to find the one we're searching for. Thanks so much for the supportive thoughts you always offer my poetry.

Laurentine G March 12, 2026 at 5:54 AM Ahh you've just made creating a nonet look easy! I might hitch a ride on the nonet train too and get my entry in :) I had already written for this contest but didn't have nonet confidence, so wasn't going to post. I've just posted but didn't write it in 5 minutes flat haha Lin Lane March 12, 2026 at 7:02 AM Thanks LG. Definitely not easy. I put my pen down a few times, only to have my mind continue to think, "Would this work?" Is that too many syllables?" Fingers come in handy for that. That's the frustrating part of being a poet. Tenacity wins out and worth the challenge. No wonder I've only ever written 3.