Whimsical Sonnet

This Sonnet form was introduced in a contest on Allpoetry by Numi_Earl_Grey

When I asked him to name the sonnet, this was his response.

Ah, a name - probably Wayne's Honestly Intricate Mono-Stanza'd Imperfectly Coupleted Alternately-Layered Sonnet, or the WHIMSICAL Sonnet for short...

The following is his own introduction to the sonnet:

My friends, I shall impart this wisdom: True,

if life were thus parlayed in newish Sonnet form

we'd need some kind of rhyme and rhythm - New,

this form would break with stale traditions and the norm. 

Now, why would we begin such daunting tasks?

Is it because we're just some new iconoclasts?

Have we been drinking bourbon from our flasks?

Or do we wish to strip away old pretense masks?

The latter would be beneficial; though

you may not want such thoughts and views upon your shelves -

such innovative types (like us) forego

the safety nets that small minds cast around themselves.

My friends, you have a choice - remain secure,

or journey in, so we may walk the untrod shores...

New Sonnet Form Details:

Lines alternate between iambic pentameter and iambic hexameter (no, not sexameter!).

So that's lines of ten and twelve syllables, all going da-daa-da-daa-da-daa...

Rhyme scheme is ABAB CCCC DEDE FF' where F' is a near rhyme to F.

I think the CCCC mono-rhyme stanza breaks the monotony of the ABAB, and the near rhyme at the end breaks the monotony of the perfect rhyming.

Here is the poem which he selected as the winner of the contest.

Poor William (Numi Sonnet)(Renamed Whimscal Sonnet)

Poor William’s not around to try this form—

And pity ’tis, for he would do it up right just!

And not, as I’m intending, flaunt the norm

By using Irish rime* to land on verse’s cusp.

Nor would the Master tempted be to write

In meter that’s so regular the reader might

While reading fall asleep, as if dim night

Had dawned and scared away all ambient delight.

No, he would teach a lesson with his wind

By breaking ev’ry rule rich pedants have proclaimed,

Such as the thought a trochee would rescind

The name ‘iambic’ from a line (as if ’twere lamed).

And I have tried to follow in his footsteps

Here, as opposed to following poetic goosesteps.

* Irish rime is what the Welsh call it;

 the Irish themselves call it perfect ‘correspondence’

or Comharda (the closest thing the Irish have to rime), 

which allows substitution of like-sounding consonants, 

such as t and p (e.g. ‘just’ and ‘cusp’).

(c) Gary Kent Spain, writing as Venicebard

Visual Template of the Form

Princess Sonnet

This form was invented by Allan R. Emery, aka Joe King on Allpoetry.

"The same as any Sonnet form as far as syllable count and end rhymes. The difference is that the rhyme is reversed for the first syllable (or syllables) of each line. For example: An English sonnet is abab cdcd efef gg so in an English Princess Sonnet the beginning rhyme would be reversed: baba dcdc fefe gg (or hh, as you can use a new beginning rhyme for the couplet if you wish) where the couplet would begin and end with a rhyming syllable (or multiple syllables if you can pull it off). An Italian sonnet would have an end rhyme of: abba abba cdecde, which would mean the start rhyme for an Italian Princess Sonnet would be baab baab edcedc (or baab baab efcefc). This will give the sonnet a cascading quality when read aloud. Often a rhyme will repeat as it ends one line and begins the next. Other times the two end rhymes of a quatrain will be next to one another as well, with one ending one line and the other beginning the next. Done with forethought, it will not be apparent that the sonnet is any different except to a very disciplined eye or ear. Yet, the rhythm and intonation that doubling the number of rhymes in a sonnet creates unquestionably makes the sonnet more like a song. With this, An English Sonnet with a beginning rhyme is an English Princess Sonnet. An Italian Sonnet with a beginning rhyme becomes and Italian Princess Sonnet. Etc. If you wish, you can have the same rhyme begin and end each line, which would be a Mirrored English Princess Sonnet, etc."

***** Notice that you can use 2, 3, or 4 syllable rhymes if you can pull them off. However, the most interesting would be the first syllable of the start rhyme and the last syllable of the end rhyme, hence: 'Mental' as a first rhyme would rhyme with 'detriment' as an end rhyme.**** 

Visual Template for English Version of Princess Sonnet,

with both front-rhyme options shown.

Visual Template for Italian version of Princess Sonnet

Reasonnet

*Reasonnet                                

A sonnet form invented by Ruth Poteet aka Reason on Allpoetry  

A variation on a variattion of a Keats Sonnet.

10 syllables                             

Four tercets plus a couplet                                

Rhymed: aaa bbb ccc ddd ee

Example Poem

Social Engineering     (Reasonnet)

Now every day you make me break the ice.

I wouldn't mind if you'd just ask me nice.

Instead you merely yak and give ad vice.

"Who made me your undocumented fool,

and set me up as your ice-breaking tool?"

I just decided to revoke that rule.

Of course we want to search for our next meal

yet all my stomping may attract a seal.

you say, "So what? That's not a biggy deal."

This method causes quickly, a commotion.

I backslap you with one nice friendly motion

and voila! there's our entry to the ocean.

I found my solution to be quite neat.

It's quicker than my using my two feet.

© Lawrencealot - June 1, 2013

Visual Template