J P Marmaro Poet Sonnet

Taken At the Flood

If brevity‘s the soul of wit, why then
All life on Earth is well and truly droll.
We hardly comprehend it all, just when
Too soon, we find ourselves before the goal.  

At first our ignorance may keep us safe,
Distracted from the truth that all is brief,
Without unkind reminders which might chafe,
Or lessons which might breed in us belief.

We, heedless, draw the water from the well,
Assuming an unending, cheap supply —
Presume existence is a tide whose swell
Will never turn, remain forever high.

But ineluctably, time’s ceaseless flow
Will trap us, helpless, in its undertow.

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Mike Miller August 18, 2019 at 1:43 PM This is an excellent poem ! Such a good write. I love the first two lines of the third verse. It has a real grandeur about it and a deep sense of meaning, not to mention a very Shakespearean feel. Well done JP ???? J P Marmaro August 20, 2019 at 4:44 PM Hi there, Mike-- and many thanks for your very kind comment! I always feel that the sonnet is a form most suited to serious subjects-- be they tragic or romantic. Oddly, one of my-- well, less good-- examples won a contest through the Nebraska Shakespeare festival. But this sonnet, I do feel, is one of my better efforts.

Line Gauthier February 25, 2019 at 8:26 PM Well done, JP. Congrats on your win. J P Marmaro February 25, 2019 at 9:11 PM Hi there, Line-- I am mostly quite pleased with how this Shakespearean Sonnet came out, and I appreciate your encouragement!

Mark Toney February 21, 2019 at 3:32 PM J P, this is an excellent write. The last 6 lines are brilliant! Congratulations on your win on Mile 19 of my 2019 Poetry Marathon Contest! Thank you so much for supporting my contests. By continuing to place in the contests you are accumulating points toward the final. ~Mark J P Marmaro February 21, 2019 at 4:43 PM Thank you kindly, Mark, for your appraisal and encouragement! I rarely receive comments, and yours are doubly appreciated.