Sonnets of the Past, Present, and Future

A Beginning

Like worried children, we held on to each other for dear life,
A trust and a bond unlike any before, 
Relying on each other like two cubs in the wildlife,
"Nothing can break us" we swore.

You quickly became my outlet,
Never complaining about my tangents, worries, and complaints,
Instead you simply listened, and better yet, 
Shared your own without constraint.

But there was always something that seemed to get in the way - 
The distance, our insecurities,
So, we kept our feelings at bay,
Using our years of friendship as an excuse - our shield in an attempt of maturity.

However, something like this could not be avoided,
A love built on friendship was where everything seemed to be pointed.

A Spoken Secret

It was always lingering in the distance,
Like a whisper in the air,
A budding flame burning with persistence,
An unspoken thought ready to be shared.
 
Eventually we realized something must be done,
And me being me,
I decided I would be the one,
To allow all of our feelings to roam free.
 
This conversation, 
Something I worried about for weeks prior,
Came with ease, leading to no frustration, 
Letting the budding flame become a fire.
 
A quick outlet of feelings of love,
Soon began to take off like a dove.
 

Continuing On

After years of learning to trust each other, 
The words were finally shared, 
And feelings of love began to smother.
This change seemed natural - as if we were always meant to be paired. 
 
This period of ease, as I would call it,
Came without argument, without disruption,
When feelings of worry would rise and refuse to quit,
We worked together, as a team, to avoid any interruption.
 
But just as people and life change,
Our love, too, would have to adapt, 
Learning to deal with any derange.
Love built on equality, with a hope of no one feeling trapped.
 
As with any relationship, we would continue to learn, 
In hopes that a beautiful life we would earn. 

The Future

No one knows me better than you,
And no one knows you better than me. 
So, I guess it makes sense that life continues as we always knew, 
Best friends navigating life, something we will always be. 
 
“You know, it’s a good thing you’re in charge”, you always say,
Not in a way that belittles me, 
But in an effort to remind me of the confidence and strength I portray,
An aspect of myself that you like to see.
 
I smile, thankful to be in your presence, 
Valuing every moment, every witty remark, and every outburst you so quickly share.
To me, this is your essence,
The way that you show you care.
 
A love and a life built on friendship, while simple and quaint, 
Is something you and I will always cherish, valued without complaint.
 

Reflection:

For my second un-essay assignment, I decided to write a series of sonnets. Inspired by the sonnets we read by Sir Phillip Sidney, I focused on the theme of love. However, the love I discuss in my sonnets is reciprocated and known, unlike the unreciprocated love seen in Sir Phillip Sidney’s poems. These poems are largely based on my relationship with my boyfriend, who I have known since I was in high school. Through these sonnets, I attempted to create a story, like Sir Phillip Sidney. The story shows our progression as very close friends, to the beginning of our relationship, to the relationship we have built today. I decided to create sonnets for this project as I was particularly interested in Sir Phillip Sidney’s work during our reading. I have always loved creative writing, and I thought creating my own poetry would be a great way to work with the literature we have read and develop my own writing skills and interests.

Literature matters as it tells the story of a time period. Themes shared in literature can be relatable years later, to a much larger audience. There is always something someone can get out of a piece of writing – whether it’s a message, an idea, or a new piece of information. Literature opens up a world of discussion and discovery. In the 16^thcentury Sir Phillip Sidney wrote a series of sonnets discussing love and the captivation it creates. Hundreds of years later, I too was moved by the idea of love that he wrote about. Sir Phillip Sidney’s work led me to my own creative outlet. Literature matters as it inspires writers and readers, and the words shared within are full of meaning for future generations. My sonnets, although differing slightly from Sir Phillip Sidney’s in the form of love they discuss, are a clear example of literature remaining valuable, inspirational, and relatable over time.