Sonnets II
Wind to Sun, Jan to Feb, Soul's Sequins, Garden Across Oceans, Tomorrow, My Team, Mother
Hello all you perfect love songs,
First, I must share: THEE Patricia Smith is curating some of THE BEST new Sonnets from Black poets as a series lovingly honoring Black History Month for the American Academy’s Poem-A-Day project. I cannot recommend the whole series enough, but I’ll pull out a few stunning favorites: Kink, Imani Davis | Aubade: Nocturne, Willie Lee Kinard III | Canopy, Arlene Keizer.
Second, it’s no secret— I too am on a Sonnet kick. They’re almost like, Lit candy for the soul. A poetic form as an argument for love. 14-lines, fun-sized. Immense yet snackable. With so many incredible contemporary turns on turns on turns— they’re little love notes as leaves growing electric wisdom from both ancient and babe trees. Regardless of word choice, sonnets speak an old language, life’s circuitry, singing in winds like cherry blossoms dancing in DC breezes.
Recently I’ve been using the Sonnet form to practice feeling into persona-based modes of writing. If they’re arguments for love, there’s a FROM and To baked-in, who is making the argument to whom? When there’s a specific persona-point-of-view, I make that clear with “from” and “to” in titles. Also for clarity, where the poem titles flow into the poems, I restate the titles below the headers
Anyway, here’s a random assortment of sonnets I’ve been writing lately.
Love,
— Adam Powers
Sonnet from Wind to Sun
I gush like I gust flowing (love) To you I say nothing is enough to describe everything on earth you shine blue In your rays guiding hues brighten in your eyes sunspots drench polka dancing dots poke through clouds columning down gleaming hold on monuments to your beauty crown my dreams wisp broken like skyscape reflecting swirling rushing of everyday squiggly zephyrs make out the shape blown across global horizons draped love—yours is what shows every line giving glowing dawn and dusk divine.
Sonnet from January to February
Beginning from the moment I first saw you feeling the crisp chill tingle down my story, my crooked branches shivered. My god, to remember our origin, from digital to starry eyes, in-person, in through your frost high rise, studio queens. Cupcake, bedquake, thenflix, and chill. Morning Ever After vibes. From the blue-green genesis of daybreak— but I, Janus, the god(des) of two faces, trans for sure, as queer as in incendiary culture transforming our love dangerous, always loved you, Februa, like rosemary you're my ritual. Purifying air we breathe exhale in me, or on pizza, you heavenly.
Rain on me your soul's sequins
Rain on me your soul's sequins
painting your face with fire foundation
like flickering lashes and flame wing
tips, raven claw cheekbones, brazen
eyebrows raised not in any surprise,
not in confusion, but in the beautiful
intention, careful contour settings sky
eyeshadow, the lip plump with umbra,
and the sun threaded highlights gone
at night when drab curtains draped
by creatures of the spotlight moon
sparkle-forth, on streets laying chaised
you rise like a drizzle strutting in mist,
atmosphere turning, my storm goddess.
Sonnet to My Team: Giving, Greening, Gilding
Let me tell you | how I know | there is sun | on the horizon | sunrises grow | emoltened skylines glow | every morning | the addition dawning together | birdsong | emboldened within us birds | working together | chirping together | there is a better way | rays shine | community solar electricity | all-supporting | helping change | more poetic power lines interconnecting | symphonies in canopies | sunlight in leaves | health | wealth | energy from light waves | legacies in communities | thank you box breakers in winning synergy. I don't need to tell you, where there's sun: the team gives every kiloWatt hour golden.
Sonnet Garden Across Oceans
A new season emerges like primrose in Portugal, peak petaly eyes peeking, sassy daffodil dancing, laughing camellia blooming early, it's remarkable! Growing like a garden across oceans, enchanting crocuses and wind-turbine snowdrops rising in DC in concert, air/water/light waves play symphonies, root like floral reefs, as if submerged undersea, cables transmit hybrid community, to thank you— retiring in bright sun, emerald leaves sparkle, kiloWatts grateful— for work engineering ease, scale, impact, your impact: giving sunnier forecast, clearings with kindness, green renewal in breezes, the same jubilee doing good with good folks brings, pushing pendulums, weary Winters to rested Springs.
Sonnet to Tomorrow
Sure, would be nice to see you smile, yes— us dancing in our streets, reclaimed as our Age— together, cooking for the potluck party, essence: scents of friends, things fried, candlelight lit late, would be great, awakening sunrise-electrified making you pancakes, on solar powered heat great as everyone 's got it, because we tried each did our part, would be more than sweet but I don't need to see it. I’d do this anyway, whatever it takes. I can work at something, work it into survival, learn to change stakes, all we can, while facing climate disruption— your smile, I imagine, holding onto the dream dancing, giving, wielding, daring it every day.
Sonnet to Mother at the Labor Strike, Saying —
Sonnet to Mother at the Labor Strike, Saying — Thirsty? Want a snack? Keep going. She’s giving everything. Checking-in and up, fighting on the line for fair contracts, child strapped on her back. Onward organizing, encouraging, leading new chants between nourishing. She acts bold as fire. She's SO tired. Raging at this ridiculousness fuels standing-up, waves of workers stomping, criss-crossing chants rising in matrices of marching against elite aims, fighting wage theft, against slave wages, union busts. But it’s not only for coordinating crowds for contract renegotiation, not only leading and caring and carrying a kid, fellow workers, the world, calls against injustice and exploitation, but also all the labor that is fighting for labor whirling into burnout, naturally wearying— More Mothers come forward, consoling: Thirsty? Want a snack? Some air? Rest now, and we’ll keep going.
I appreciate you. You make my world better.
Here’s some back-catalog if you want to adventure deeper into the forests of my sonnets