Photo: thedutchrose.blogspot.com
Risk
A Sonnet
The more you have of love, the more you need,
yet all you have has failed to satisfy.
Now open wide the door to ecstasy;
you’ve gifts and grace just waiting to be freed.
You parrot words you hear the other say.
Do feelings flow from deep within your heart?
Are you afraid to breathe, to do your part—
surrendering yourself when others may
withhold response, ignore, abuse your trust?
Abandoning reserve is fraught with fear.
But if you never dare to shed a tear,
you’ll find no love, but only fleeting lust.
Oh, Self, these words could open you to pain.
The choice is yours. So will you live in vain?
Initially written for and linked to dVerse Poets Open Link Night. Linking on Valentine’s Day to The Bardo Group‘s invitation to share poems of love.
Victoria C. Slotto, Author 
A love sonnet– intellect style. Surrendering to love might be one of the most difficult things we attempt as human beings, each attempt worth the risk, I think. “you’ve gifts and grace just waiting to be freed” a powerful line and one of my favorites here. Risk. What have we to lose?
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A wonderful message you serve up to us, Victoria. Now out of a relationship for over a year, I find that I’m opening up to the possibility again. Scared? Yes…but what the heck!
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Beautifully inspiring-makes one introspect:-)
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The dilemma laid bare. Intriguing love poem.
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Yes .. i think Love created is best LOVE..and love(s) absorbed..
can lead to black hole sun souls..if that is the only way…
to LOVE..:)
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so well crafted!
i find this inspiring, Victoria. Thanks for sharing.
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Very well written Victoria, I did like the call to shed a tear on the path to finding love.
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I choose to live, love and risk the pain… such a thoughtful poem Victoria.
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I’m all in. I’ll risk the pain to live the joy!
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Excellent use of the form. And the topic has that classic sonnet feeling about it.
Steve K.
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You handle the sonnet so exquisitely, marrying form and function so well, that you almost make me want to try one myself (but I fear it is too hard). Opening ourselves to pain, allowing ourselves to be vulnerable? A tough question…
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beautiful sonnet….
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Opening the door to ourselves ~ a huge ask at times, how well you have captured the uncertainties Vick – lovely
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It is a risk to open ourselves to another and face that vulnerability. But I believe it is worth it…depending on the partner that you choose. Careful…eyes wide open.
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“But if you never dare to shed a tear,
you’ll find no love, but only fleeting lust.”
Words of wisdom indeed! I hear the words of Alfred Lord Tennyson in this “Tis better to have love and lost….” Definitely take the risk!
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Very beautiful conflict – you have in here Victoria.
But if you never dare to shed a tear,
you’ll find no love, but only fleeting lust.
The best lines to me.
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This is a beautiful sonnet..I agree with Mary I love those two lines..sometimes a tear must be shed..
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Insightful, Victoria–and beautifully worded. Lovely.
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beautifully written and spoken through the eyes of someone who has turned that open door for love! -joanie
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that was a beautiful poem — take the risk to feel. thank you.
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There is power in the form… and you harness it to good effect to deal effectively with something so major and reflective.
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This is a wonderful sonnet.. I particularly like the last part after the Volta.. and I’m asking myself.. how can we dare not to shed a tear… the pain and living in vain… dark future indeed…
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How brave you are, to immerse such sentiment in a sonnet. You, and some of the other brave poets at dVerse, choose a classic form as easily as your blouse for the day; you just reach in and grab one. I do like to try the classic forms during/for FFA/MTB, but I feel awkward counting syllables, forcing rhyme schemes–all part of growth perhaps, and wanting to run with the dVerse dogs. You are def one of the poets who likes to take the lead harness at times; thanks.
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such a timely piece… something which needs to be taught to our culture
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risk and trust . . . a charged combination. I’m certainly not one to trust easily.
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A beautiful sonnet – I particularly like the enjambment at the end of the second quatrain and the way you tell yourself off in the volta. You sound almost apologetic in your response to Claudia, but the twist at the end of a sonnet is what makes the form so special.
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it is def. a risk and i honestly don’t trust easily and do not show emotions easily yet i’m learning…. smiles…it’s worth the risk…
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The twist at the end was to satisfy the demands of the volta in the sonnet form. I suppose though that all of us can work to better take that risk of surrendering completely. A bit scary at times.
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that in the end it is to your Self that you are speaking puts and interesting spin on this … its hard at times to open ourselves to feeling….there is risk, but sheltering our self from it…what life is there really?
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Depthful and thought-provoking sonnet, artistically rendered. My favorite lines are these
“But if you never dare to shed a tear,
you’ll find no love, but only fleeting lust”
which I tend to agree with!
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