Welcome back. This week I’ll discuss a doubly modified Petrarchan Sonnet. As we’ve seen, a standard Petrarchan uses an ABBAABBA CDECDE rhyme scheme. The octet here is a Crybin variant using an ABBACDDC rhyme scheme while the sestet is a Sicilian Sestet using, in this case, EFEEFE.
A Road to Peace I train my heart and train my mind to see The advantageous methods to employ To live my life and others not destroy Despite the surety we'll disagree. For sometimes only compromise can save Relationships too dear to leave to chance And in that hour we must take a stance Yet not forget decisions can be grave. The outcomes best when others I forgave To falter not and friendship's cause advance, And understand at times we must be brave. Upon our hearts this Truth we must engrave, Love more not less and Peace we will enhance That through this work a Golden Road we'll pave. Frank Garnick © Copyright The Archer's March 20 July 2022
As I’ve mentioned before, I often use my writing to deconstruct quandaries in my mind. The orchestration of a sonnet forces me to juggle words and their meanings. This enables me to pick apart the subject manner in a way that leads me to a deeper understanding, verily guiding my soul in it’s journey to self betterment. I choose (or my muse will choose for me) a door towards something that I’ve noticed lacking within myself.
In this instance I’m attempting to understand how I can work to better my interpersonal relationships. How I relate to my fellow man is completely in my hands. I cannot allow myself to simply react, my deeds are my own and for them I will have to answer. So too the feelings in my heart. If someone misunderstands my motives that I seem so sure of, I need to examine them myself. Can I find a better way to express myself, regardless of how they’re interpreted? Their actions are their own as well yet I cannot control them.
The Gate of Forgiveness is a target I’ve sought in recent years. Both to forgive others and also to forgive myself. For without the ability to forgive oneself any chance of properly forgiving others is made much more difficult. When consciously seeking out our own mistakes and shortcomings, we try to find mitigating circumstances for ourselves. That can be difficult when we’re overly hard on ourselves. With the express desire to honestly come to forgiveness for others, however, when we need to overcome bitterness, we open a path to do the same for ourselves. I’ve found that when I can achieve forgiveness for someone who seems to have done me wrong, I’m liberated. Grievances are like anchors weighing us down. Once they’re jettisoned we can breathe freely. Forgiveness is a personal goal though. It does not mean we need forget nor does it entail opening ourselves up to be used or hurt again. Often this exercise will clear our vision to guard against that possibility in the future.
Thank you for reading and have a wonderful day.