[edit] The first part here is my worksheets. There’s a first draft poem at the bottom.

Poetry assignment: Sonnet

‘21/03/02

Shakespearean	Petrarchan	Spenserian	Miltonic	Modern/Contemporary
A	A	A	A	14
B	B	B	B	lines
A	B	A	B	usually
B	A	B	A	free
C	A	B	A	verse
D	B	C	B
C	B	B	B
D	A	C	A
E	C/C/C	C	C
F	D/D/D	D	D
E	C/E/E	C	E
F	D/C/E	D	D
G	C/D/D	E	E
G	D/E/C	E	C

iambic pentameter – duh-DUH-duh-DUH-duh-DUH-duh-DUH-duh-DUH. ~ means the meter isn’t exact Italicized lines do not feel right to me. It all started when the line “We all look forward to the sky at night” popped into my head. I had no meaning or context, no idea or plan. I knew only that it was iambic pentameter.

We all look forward to the sky at night To see the stars that shine to guide our way, Who watch o’er us until the break of light As we tromp ahead without delay. ‘Tis cold. The bitter winter night is long. It’s not as if we go because we flee. What we have done is not considered wrong but there is not the place we can be free. . . . A long, hard night and not a rigmarole . . . At last! Some food! A bed! Life is good!

~ ~

bright blight cite delight fight fright height kite light might night plight quite right site sight tight trite white write bay bray cay clay cray day dray delay defray fray gray hay jay lay may nay neigh pay play ray say stay long song wrong belong prong tong throng agree be bee free flee he lee lea me knee plea see sea she tree thee three we apiece caprice cease decrease crease fleece geese greece lease peace piece release least priest brotherhood could good hood stood (mis)understood wood would

We all look upward to the sky at this night To see the stars that shine to guide our way, Who watch o’er us until the break of light As we tromp ahead without delay. It’s cold. The bitter winter night is long. Yes, best that we forgo our needed sleep. It’s hard. We’ll sing our songs to keep us strong, And hope our hold on life is what we keep. As dawn arrives, the cold begins to ease. Not far to go before we reach our goal And thank the god who listened to our pleas. A long, hard night, but not a rigmarole. At last! Some food! A bed! A stove with wood! Above all else, we know our life is good.

~ ~ ~

bright blight cite delight fight fright height kite light might night plight quite right site sight tight trite white write bay bray cay clay cray day dray delay defray fray gray hay jay lay may nay neigh pay play ray say stay among belong long prong song strong tong throng wrong beep bleep creep deep heap jeep keep leap neap peep reap seep sheep sleep sweep weep (dis)agrees appease bees breeze frees freeze fleas guarantees he’s jeez keys knees luxuries peas pleas please seas sees seize she’s sneeze sprees squeeze trees wheeze bowl cajole coal console control droll extol foal hole mole parole patrol pole role roll sole soul stole stroll toll troll whole

 First Draft

 It’s cold. The bitter winter night is long.
 Yes, best that we forgo our needed sleep.  
 It’s hard. We’ll sing our songs to keep us strong,
 And hope our hold on life is what we keep.
 
 We all look upward to the sky this night
 To see the stars that shine to guide our way,
 Who watch o’er us until the break of light
 As we tromp ahead without delay.
  
 As dawn arrives, the cold begins to ease.
 Not far to go before we reach our goal
 And thank the god who listened to our pleas.
 A long, hard night, but not a rigmarole.
 
 At last! Some food! A bed! A stove with wood!
 Above all else, we know our life is good 

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I don’t like the striped rows and the background color, but WordPress does not give me an option to remove it, and I needed to use the “pre” format to keep my worksheets intact. It shows clear/white on my drafting page. I also dislike that it changes the font for the final poem.

A N N O Y I N G!