“Write me a love poem,” she said she said, “One
Of those sonnets.” Just like that. “Sure, sometime,”
I lied, unsure of structure, meter, rhyme –
Mostly of love itself. I’d been alone
Most of my life and hadn’t a notion
Of what love required. Its paradigm
I’d seen, but when pressed I could barely mime
Its performance. “I’ll get right on it, hon.”

So I started, certain I’d scrap the damn
Thing in a few days or a week. Love poems
Have traditions only lovers could know.
I could follow rules and pass her exam,
Assemble a sonnet, keep peace at home,
But I never did. She left long ago.

© 2015 Robert Glover

2 Responses

  1. Jim Mc

    Congratulations, Bob. I like your poem a lot. Do you know what poems won first and second, and what it was the judges favored in those over yours?

    • Robert

      Thanks, Jimbo. I’m not sure what they were looking for, and I haven’t read the other poems either. It was for a Petrarchan sonnet. I submitted a few other poems to other contests, but struck out on those. Bummer.

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