Rejecting Solipsism

In a world so conveniently organised
there is no need for charm or chat-up lines,
all the young have to do is swipe
and rate their lives on the number of likes.

For those of us who never went on dates,
who fell in love with long-term friends,
preferring the safety of familiar faces,
dating websites are alien planets.

As we settle into the autumn of our lives,
cosy in the knowledge of ourselves and of each other,
crows feet and wrinkles do not matter.

In our hearts and minds we are the same young things,
those carefree lovers who shared songs and dreams,
who still hold hands and adore each other selflessly.

Kim M. Russell, 2017

Related image

Old Couple Couple Walking  from an original painting by J Coates found on Pinterest

My response to dVerse Poets Pub Meeting the Bar – Pablo Neruda-style Sonnet

Bjőrn is back as barkeeper this evening with a sonnet prompt. He says that everyone knows that a sonnet rhymes, that there are rhyme schemes. and that a sonnet is written in iambic pentameter. It fourteen lines and something called a volta. And then there is Pablo Neruda and his Love sonnet XVII, which has no rhyme scheme and no meter (or a free meter). But it does have fourteen lines, and a volta.

Today Björn wants us to write a free verse sonnet in the same style, stating our problem in the first two quatrains (packing it with metaphors, with mystery and imagery) and then applying it for real in the concluding part.

40 thoughts on “Rejecting Solipsism”

  5. Excellent free verse sonnet–sweet smiles in every line; love your jibe at youth too. Put me in mind of those famous lines–“Come, Love, take my hand and grow old with me, for the best is yet to come.” with Hepburn & Olivier.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. “As we settle into the autumn of our lives,
    cosy in the knowledge of ourselves and of each other,
    crows feet and wrinkles do not matter.” True love, this is a beautiful tribute to those who endure. (This month will be our 40th anniversary)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  18. Pingback: Wading and Waiting | Dr. Crystal Howe

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.