georginasand | (no subject)

~ "I intended an Ode, And it turned to a Sonnet." ~Austin Dobson

Sonnet written for extra-credit in a Shakespeare class. I'm rather proud of it, so here it goes. It's about waiting, complete with gratutious nod to Samuel Becket

A solitary sailboat stuck in unswayed

Water, a wandering warbler waits for

Dusk, and a daring day dreamer delayed

Far from fortune, all paused outside the door

That opens on to an unknown which lies

Ahead. Brighter, broader, more beautiful

Than the present. From hope deferred time flies

To the sick-somethings of the dutiful

Who wait for the tree of life, but do not

Climb it[1]. For a wish is not so secure

But, like a fruit, can with neglect rot;

Steadfast patience cannot it ensure.

But if good things come to those who wait[2],

then that which never comes may just be late.

[1] From hope…of the tree of life: In Waiting for Godot Vladimir says “hope deferred makes the something sick” trying to quote Proverbs 13:12 “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.”

[2] Final syllable intentionally missing.