Thank You Ma'Am - In Memoriam Queen Elizabeth Ii

In memoriam: Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September 2022. May she Rest in Peace. Gracious and a constant all my life, not bending to public opinion o’ strife, your sharp wit could cut like a Bowie knife. With statesmen you did meet—had an excellent seat. Paddington Bear, so sweet—your compassion, not beat. You’re honoured as a national treasure, never resorting to artful pressure: Deus ex machine per Measure for Measure. You danced with those freed—gifted a French Guard stead. You have lived by a creed—example to us indeed. Remembered as beloved mother and wife, seventy years on the throne: quite a feat. There’s no more need of any embrasure. For your esteemed family, hearts now bleed. Poetic form: Suzette sonnet. The title of the poem refers to Paddington Bear saying ' Thank you Ma'am ... for everything...' when he 'took tea' with HRH in celebration of the Planinum Jubelee in June 2022. ___________________________________________________________ © SUZETTE SONNET—SUZNET for short (9 April 2021) A 14-line sonnet of alternating triplets and couplets, concluding with a quatrain. Rhyme scheme: aaa (b1–b2)(b3–b4) ccc (d1–d2)(d3–d4) abcd The triplets are iambic pentameter [*/|*/|*/|*/|*/]. The rhyming couplets are iambic hexameter and include an internal rhyme, namely [*/|*/|*/—*/|*/|*/] (alexandrines). Concluding with a quatrain in iambic pentameter that summarises the poem in a rhyme scheme set by the triplets and couplets. The volta is at L9. OR the couplets may define pivots within the poem, ie a tilting or shifting in the mainline of thought. When the latter is employed, it needs to be uniform throughout the poem.