sara Etgen-Baker Poet Sonnet

Notes About The Poem

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SONNET FOR THE UNBOWED PEN

I do not place my words before your praise,  
nor wait for your clapping hands to grant them worth.  
A deeper pulse compels the lines I raise~  
a meaning rising darkling into birth.  

I write to breathe, to name what trembles near,  
to steady what has wavered in the cage,  
to free the truths that lingered bound by fear  
and give them voice upon an open page.  

Denied acclaim is neither wound nor guide;  
your daggered slights effect not my moving hand.  
Expression is the compass at my side~  
the soul’s own weather shaped so it may stand.  

So pen your veiled, daggered slights if you must. 
My work seeks life beyond my desk, unbowed and just.

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Paige Hind April 21, 2026 at 3:46 PM yessss I love this sara Etgen-Baker April 21, 2026 at 4:29 PM thank you....glad you liked it.

Line Gauthier April 21, 2026 at 5:32 AM Superbly penned, Sara ~ sara Etgen-Baker April 21, 2026 at 4:30 PM many thanks, dear Line

Susan Ashley April 20, 2026 at 12:50 PM Dear Sara, your sonnet is beautiful in its heartfelt passion. I can feel the sizzle from the heat of your golden pen. Beautifully created! "I do not place my words before your praise,/nor wait for your clapping hands to grant them worth." Love a verse dripping with defiance! Warmest wishes my poet friend.. ~Susan sara Etgen-Baker April 20, 2026 at 5:43 PM Thanks for stopping by; I deeply appreciate you and your wonderfully kind comments and encouragement. Wishing you the best my dear poet friend. hugs, Sara

Frederic Parker April 20, 2026 at 11:22 AM Good for you, dear poet, write not for praise rather for the joy of creating something from your own expressions, your own life lived...this sonnet expressed your feelings well sara Etgen-Baker April 20, 2026 at 5:44 PM thank you, Frederic, for visiting and for sharing your encouraging and uplifting comments. Color me grateful. wishing you well