on the lethal effect of a heat wave on the love affair between a poet and his muse

Photo Credit: Roland Chadwick

oppressive heat has stifled your desire
such effort holds your soul within its sway
no shade nor breeze lends refuge though it may
fan flames that surge unyielding ever higher

you search for words to quench the smoldering fire
you scan the clouds—the pages of this day
your thoughts bleed down your brow and fade away
the muse you sought, sought darkness and expired

you dream, but love refuses your advance
this foe suppresses creativity
be still and wait for cooler days to come
a flash of light that slashes like a lance
to open up the skies to rain to see
a poem taking shape, now watch it grow

Petrarchan Sonnet: abbaabba cdecde

Photo Credit: ladieswhocritique.com

I wrote this a few weeks ago and forgot about it. It was a week of record-breaking weather, temperatures in the 100’s (F), and I found it difficult to write anything, so I turned to the discipline of form poetry to help me get started.

This would have worked well for Saturday’s Poetic’s Prompt offered by Claudia Schoenfeld, but I was deep into a writing project and learning how to self-publish on Kindle. So with a nod to last week, here it is for Open Link Night. The doors open 3:00 PM EDT. Please join us.