Colorado Sonnet

John W. May

Nature

Sonnet

Colorado

The lark bunting trills with lovely refrain
In these soon-to-be, snow-laced, timbered hills.
I? I stroll with wonder through the terrain,
Enraptured with feelings a mystic feels.

My home, my heart from my earliest days,
Lies amid the fragrance of minted pines
Where distant snow-clad peaks are vaulted, raised
Like castle walls in lofty, staggered lines.

My heart, from boyhood’s earliest hours,
Pledged itself to these woods where aspens quake,
To these frigid creeks and perfumed flowers,
To the fog-filled valleys and hanging lakes.

Makes no difference: mountain or hill or grove …
Where the lark bunting singing roves, I rove.

About this poem

I wish I could articulate with better words how beautiful and how lovely Colorado is: every season expresses itself in a way that is Eden-like.

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Submitted by Vixility on November 26, 2023

: 35 sec read
: 76 Views

Quick analysis:

Scheme	AXAX XBXB CXCX DD
Closest metre	Iambic pentameter
Characters	672
Words	118
Stanzas	4
Stanza Lengths	4, 4, 4, 2

Full analysis for Colorado Sonnet »

John W. May

John W. May has lived in Colorado all his life. He currently works in the field of ophthalmology and loves to mountain bike and read about history. John first became a lover of poetry in 2008 after having read a poem by John Milton. He has been reading and studying the works of various poets since. His favorite poets are Emily Dickinson, Fyodor Tyutchev and W. B. Yeats. more…

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4 Comments

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adam.gutteridge
What a beautiful tribute to a place so special to you, and to nature itself. The words conjure such perfect pictures in the mind of the reader. Well done John!
LikeReply 13 months ago
- Vixility
  I really derived a great deal of pleasure contemplating Colorado’s beauty while composing this piece. I will admit, however, the first stanza was hell to get right lol …
  
  Thanks for the kind comment and for stopping by. more »
  LikeReply3 months ago
JokerGem
“Enraptured with the feelings of a mystic”
That’s all you needed to say for me to believe you love your home, but still, the imagey is palpable enough to support and anchor this sonnet.

I’ve been experimenting with this ‘writing from the heart’ concept but it leaves me feeling quite vulnerable and questioning whether anyone can grasp quite what l may be feeling or thinking. But I think the challenge is just to articulate best that which you mean--the interpretation will follow. --Excellent job as usual, a privilege to read! more »
LikeReply 24 months ago
- Vixility
  completely understand about deep, deep poetry whose content (if shared) exposes one to vulnerability. I have quite a few of those, and few eyes have scanned them.
  
  I will add, however, that studying the writing techniques of people like Nabokov and Roethke have helped me express ‘my heart’ with a lot more ease than I had prior to reading them. more »
  LikeReply4 months ago
- JokerGem
  Interesting...
  I think 1’II check out Roethke a little-- I just noticed we share the same birthday!
  LikeReply4 months ago
lovingempath
I agree with Steve (rare:). I love the sensations of sight and sound and smell your poem evokes in me. Using the lark pulls the entire poem together. Beautiful piece!
LikeReply 14 months ago
- Vixility
  You’re too kind Robin. I was pretty satisfied how the opening and closing with the Colorado state bird turned out. It wasn’t part of the original plan, but you know how these poems take on a life of their own and lead you in different ways … more »
  LikeReply 14 months ago
- lovingempath
  Only too well my friend! :)
  LikeReply4 months ago
Symmetry60
This made my top 5. It is vastly underrated here. It belongs in the upper echelons. I mean that sincerely. Great write as always, John.
LikeReply 24 months ago
- Vixility
  Hey, thanks! Took me forever to get that first stanza where I wanted it, but the poem was an overall enjoyable one to work with.
  LikeReply 14 months ago

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"Colorado Sonnet" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/175204/colorado-sonnet>.

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