Welcome

Everysonnet is a site created to fill a need in the poet community. 

It lists at one internet address Every major sonnet form known* to exist in the English speaking world, along with example poems, and in many cases, helpful visual templates.  *Known to me, and known to be named.

It exists as a blog which differs from a ‘regular’ web site and takes some getting used to – I am still in the process of learning.  I’ll list here the things you most need to know to use this site.

1. It automatically puts the last post as the first thing you see, so I will always try to make this info, the last posted.

2. Perhaps the most useful tool for most is the list of all  Sonnet Forms.  Get there by clicking on the “Sonnet Forms” tab,

which is to the right of the “Home” tab.

Lazy Day Sonnet

This sonnet form was created by Rebecca Kerr, aka Rebecca-K on Allpoetry.com.

It's defining characteristic is the

Rhyme pattern:  aabbccdddeeeff

It should be written in iambic pentameter with volta at line 7 or later.

 Example Poem

Listen Up     (Lazy Day Sonnet)

The bishop postulates his weekly view.

If I attend I listen weakly too.

"Begetting best begins when one is wed,

so wait 'til then to take him to your bed."

The teachers when they must presume to speak,

and parents too, set forth the same critique.

I hear the words yet see our public men

succumb to power's perks now and again,

to bed a beau- yes, even priests. Amen!

Thus seems they set for us a stale canard

the powerful assume they can discard,

Rebutting or ignoring is not hard.

Their dogma need not now define my role.

It seems that pregnant chicks go on the dole!

© Lawrencealot - April 22, 2014

Visual Template

Sonnet Anapest

Sonnet Anapest is a sonnet form created by Lawrence Eberhart, aka Lawrencealot on AP.  It will be listed here as a  gadget sonnet as it lies outside the parameters of the standard sonnet

It is a quatorzain written the rhyme pattern of an English Sonnet.

The defining character is that lines alternate between anapestic tetrameter and anapestic trimeter with feminine rhyme.

Example Poem

Puddles       (Sonnet Anapest)

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain." ~Vivian Greene

When the rainstorm brought puddles and pools to our street

and most huddled in side, warm and wary,

the prospect of some splashing invited my feet

and so nothing about it was scary.

I was bundled in rain gear, galoshes and hat

and was thrilled with the wetness and splashing

and the water went flying when my boots went splat!

Then the lightning and thunder came crashing.

When my mom called me in I complied, you can bet

(in a hurry) for fright was controlling.

But my mommy had cookies and cocoa all set

so the rainy day's joys kept on rolling.

I was trained to be happy and happy I've stayed.

Just arrange the board pieces the fates have displayed.

© Lawrencalot - April 4, 2014

Visual Template

Sonnet Reversii

This sonnet form was invented by  Visalakshi , aka  Vive la V on Allpoetry

Here are her own requirements:

(1) Stanzaic : quatorzain, or octave and sestet.

(2) 10 syllables, except in the final couplet, which could vary: 10 or 11, but both L13 and L14 should be the same syllable length

(3) It is lexical where the last word of the first stanza becomes the first/ or beginning of the first word of the second stanza. This pattern continues to the end.

(4) The sonnet ends with the same word with which it begins, yes it is a requirement.

(5) Must rhyme. Rhyme pattern abab cdcd efef g’g (or gg) (near rhymes or exact rhymes)

(6) Volta in L9 or L 13

(7) For this form there is no metric requirement. It is optional.

Here is my example

We have What's Needed     (Sonnet Reversii)

Within us all is something from without. 

Without a doubt there's much I can adduce, 

adduce some things for you to think about. 

About our doubts we have a real excuse. 

Excuse me when I claim man's not correct, 

correct in thinking gods must be required. 

Requiring dogma leaves a disconnect- 

a substitute for answers much desired. 

Desiring knowledge is, and must remain -

remain a trait to which we must attend. 

Attend to learning; try not to complain. 

Complaining sigh won't help us to contend- 

contend with knowing, "How'd it all begin". 

Begin assured, we've all we need within. 

© Lawrencealot - April 1, 2014

Visual Template

Love at First Glance

Sonnet I

Your eyes are liquid pools in which I sink
The centers dark, yet filled with so much light
Can’t look away, I dare not even blink
In case I miss the nuance of your sight.
The lashes seem too pretty for a man
But thickly cast a shadow, which I see
Just adds to intrigue, with their depth and span
Awakens something at the heart of me.

But if you capture me with just a glance
It must be so with many others too,
I am unsure if I would stand a chance
Of challenging and interesting you.

Desire it seems already now has grown
To greater depths than I have ever known.

Sonnet II

To greater depths than I have ever known
When all it took was just a single glance,
For in a rush my senses have all flown
Into a waltz, a swirling, twirling dance.
I do not know if I can cross this floor
That separates us now, but your eyes call
And I'm obliged to heed the certain roar
Be brave or let the curtain on us fall.

But more than eyes reached out to say hello
The timbre of your voice a pleasant thrill,
I stumble then, the words won’t seem to flow
My thoughts are lost, and gone against my will.

Oh damn, I know I really need a drink!
I cannot voice the wonder that I think.

Sonnet III

I cannot voice the wonder that I think
Your eyes have drawn me in and now I’m hooked.
The world around us goes away, just shrinks
To naught, I think, by a sweet piercing look!
Your mouth says words, I only see your lips
They are so curved, look firm and oh so warm,
You’re godlike from your hair down to your hips
My thoughts are scattered in your perfect storm.

I wonder why your look seemed so intense,
But still I am enraptured by your glow.
I think perhaps I am a little dense;
What's there about me you should want to know?

Your hand is smooth, I bite away my moan
My thoughts a mess, a writhing small cyclone.

Sonnet IV

My thoughts a mess, a writhing small cyclone
My heart it stutter steps within my breast,
I pray you cannot hear its restless groan
And hope yours feels, within that manly chest.
Your eyes, still looking deeply into mine
(I wonder why I cannot look away?)
Bring shivers to my skin and up my spine
So totally I am within your sway.

My fingers want to touch, they need to say
Out loud how much your gaze has shaken me;
I must be mad! My nerves are in a fray,
I’m praying that there's truth in what I see.

Throw caution to the wind? What’s the big deal?
I want to tell you how I truly feel.

Sonnet V

I want to tell you how I truly feel
How fired your eyes have made me from the start,
The all of you, that latent sex appeal
I struggle with the words I must impart.
I gather up my courage, take a breath
And hope I sound so confident and bold
Because if I don't speak then I'll be left
To always wonder, what if I had told.

Then suddenly the band begins to play
You bow to me and ask me for a dance,
We go out on the floor and closely sway
And once more words are swept with fine romance.

You stare at me, I’m totally engrossed
But words escape me when I need them most.

Sonnet VI

But words escape me when I need them most
I'm on cloud nine, no words are needed now.
He thinks, This woman, dancing with me close
Seems so much fun, but now I must allow
Her access to my deeper self as well
For texture, image, and demeanor too
Broadcast that words unsaid will soon compel
My heart and soul to take a deeper view.

She looks reluctant, timid and surprised,
Perhaps afraid her words won’t show their worth.
She speaks such volumes flowing from her eyes
I feel her voice will flow with care and mirth.

I'll vouch that words will soon my soul anneal
Your eyes just mesmerize; my heart, once steel.
 

Sonnet VII

Your eyes just mesmerize; my heart, once steel
Has melted now; surprised how readily
A look can reach across and make me feel;
My strength erodes, heart beats unsteadily.
Your perfume rises up and takes my sense,
My hands around your waist, they tremble too
Against love’s call I have no strong defense
When all I seem to want is only you.

We’ve hardly said a word and yet your eyes
Have said so much, without an uttered line.
My head it spins, you’re such a natural high
I need to find a way to make you mine.

My breath deserts me when it matters most
Just falls apart and leaves me like a ghost.

Sonnet VIII

Just falls apart and leaves me like a ghost
Composure slips, but cannot help myself.
I need to get a grip or diagnose
Myself a fool; I feel like someone else!
You're watching me as if you cannot wait
For me to utter something cute or smart,
But all I do is curse myself, berate
For staying oh so quiet from the start.

I breathe and finally my lips awake
I hear the words and cringe; oh what a mess!
"You dance so well", is all that I can shake
Out from my mind, and now I feel distress.

You smile as if you see my silly fears
I am in constant blush, I know you hear.
 

Sonnet IX

I am in constant blush, I know you hear
And wonder if you think that I am less
Than every woman you’ve known here and there;
That causes me to think and to assess.
The music stops but we stay standing close
As if we are afraid to break some spell
And caught up in a dream we softly pose
Like lovers, who cannot their passions quell.

You ask me if I’d like to take a seat
And talk a while, and lead me from the floor
I nod and force some movement from my feet
And softly say "I’d like that, I am sure".

I shake my head, I know I need to cool
My mumblings, you must think me such a fool.

Sonnet X

My mumblings, you must think me such a fool
My mind replays- until you speak and say,
"I'm not so tongue-tied as a general rule,
But then again, I've never felt this way".
I hesitate to interrupt this brief
Connection where our touching speaks instead
Of words, but still I find it a relief
That I want more than taking you to bed.

That raw desire could make guy's words self-serving
Make compliments and praise be deemed a ploy,
And yet of all such praise you're most deserving
And your non-verbal cues have brought me joy.

When I'm supposed to be precise and clear
I cannot string a line together dear.
 

Sonnet XI

I cannot string a line together dear
So hold my hand while clouds of phrases bounce
Across my mind before they disappear.
I stutter when you give your hair a flounce.
There's nothing I can tell you that is new
For every man before has surely tried
To frame in words, the loveliness of you
With every phrase their muses could provide.

Our fingers touching tells me it's okay,
That words aren't too important on this night.
I sense you're feeling lost in this same way
At loss for words, but found in shared delight.

Pretense would drown in eyes deep liquid pool;
Your smiling eyes, they make me so uncool.

Sonnet XII

Your smiling eyes, they make me so uncool,
But so infectious, I can’t help but smile,
I think I’m grinning like some silly fool
I haven’t felt this reckless in a while!
Your fingers grow a warmth in me that I
Cannot resist, I feel your moonlike pull
And like the tide I flow towards your sky
And somehow you just make me feel so full.

You whisper softly, leaning in to me
And touch a finger to my blushing cheek,
You say how much my eyes look like the sea
And trace of finger makes me feel so weak.

I stammer "thank you", so caught on your hook
Your eyes so warm, I almost cannot look.
 

Sonnet XIII

Your eyes so warm, I almost cannot look
The passions well and make me feel so small,
How can I breathe, when all the air you took?
How fast, how fast, so easily I fall!
Your beauty is a wonder I should hold
I’ve never been so taken with one glance!
And I’ll presume to be so very bold
And say that this is love, I’m in a trance!

All words forgot, your lips are claiming mine
And then I know the all of what I feel.
You bubble to my head like mellow wine
This kiss is all we need to seal the deal.

Our love it babbles like a raging brook,
Through love, we read each other like a book.

Sonnet XIV

Through love, we read each other like a book
My heart is bared to you, I read your eyes
And there, with such intensity of look
Is everything I need, right there it lies.
I ask if I can see you once again
But know I never want to be without,
And sigh with happiness when you exclaim
The "yes" that erases my every doubt.

We kiss once more, your lips just speak to me
And hand in hand we leave our meeting place,
And I am still in awe, but feel so free
Enraptured by the wonder of your face.

I am amazed how two hearts can be linked;
Your eyes are liquid pools in which I sink.

Sonnet XV

Your eyes are liquid pools in which I sink
To greater depths than I have ever known,
I cannot voice the wonder that I think
My thoughts a mess, a writhing small cyclone.
I want to tell you how I truly feel
But words escape me when I need them most,
Your eyes just mesmerize; my heart, once steel
Just falls apart and leaves me like a ghost.

I am in constant blush, I know you hear
My mumblings, you must think me such a fool.
I cannot string a line together dear
Your smiling eyes, they make me so uncool.

Your eyes so warm, I almost cannot look
Through love, we read each other like a book.