Postcard: April 3, 2017
Author Archives: Leslie Schultz
April 1, 2017 “Sonnet Despite Rain”
Sonnet Despite Rain
for E. K.
I have a friend who sings each time it rains,
who might, for all I know, dance in it, too.
Even the melancholy moans of trains
sliding through wet nights take on a lighter hue
for her, as if, speeding down now-slick tracks,
all the freight cars are crammed with happy news—
checks, cards, and letters spilling from mail sacks,
all addressed to her, rain-washed clean of woes.
I like the idea of a gentle rain
coaxing flowers from dusty, barren ground
each April, inciting swells of bird song.
Yet actual rain clouds bring me real pain—
drumming their melancholy tapping sound,
insisting my day and my world are wrong.
Leslie Schultz
Check out other participants at the NaPoWriMo Challenge 2017 home site!
Sign of Early Spring
Every year, we wait for it. The tiny Siberian wildflower known to us as scilla, announces spring as nothing else does. I had never heard of it before moving to Northfield, but now it is one of my very favorites.
In a few weeks, the whole town will be awash with these intense blue blooms. For several weeks now, I have been watching the hearty green spears begin to poke out of the ground and take snow squalls in their stride. Today–when the sky was an iron-fisted grey, not allowing a single golden ray or a glimpse of blue to slip through the clouds–the muddy ground yielded this exciting vanguard of spring. Very cheering!
Leslie
2017 Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest Now Accepting Entries!
For sonnet writers and two important dates are approaching fast: April 11 and June 1!
Entries for the Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest need to be postmarked by June 1. For clarification about the contest rules and the sonnet forms allowed, click here: Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest. Everyone is eligible. Winning sonnets from past years are posted, and they are inspiring.
Maria W. Faust
The April 11th “Kick-Off” event will be at Winona’s Blue Heron (on 2nd Street and Johnson in downtown). It’s set for 7 PM, with music by the Flutistry trio, beginning about 6:15. Snacks will be provided by the Blue Heron. Winona’s current Poet Laureate, Ken McCullough, and recent Poet Laureate, Emilio DeGrazia, will attend. These masters of the form will offer some insights into sonnet writing, as well as our contest. There are plans for a Speed-Sonnet writing time, based on a list of rhyming end-words provided, and for some sharing of sonnets by attendees–either their own work or classic favorites–if time permits.
Blue Heron
And later in the summer, winning sonnets are announced and read at an event at Winona State University by members of the Great River Shakespeare Festival.
I have been aware of this constellation of sonnet-celebrating events since 2011. In that time, I have seen it grow each year. With a growing number of entries from all over the country and even abroad, more sonnets have been awarded prizes. The range of work in terms of subject and tone, and the uniform high level of skill is clearly encouraging new appreciation for the power of the sonnet, as well as showcasing vital contemporary work cast in this classic form. I see that, for myself, I have written more sonnets in recent years than I ever have, and it surprises me how often now an intriguing iambic pentameter line pops into my head.
I don’t know if I will have anything this year worthy of submitting, but knowing the contest deadline looms is always stimulating. We’ll see! Meanwhile, why not check out the past winning sonnets and see? Better yet, if your schedule permits, rendezvous at the Blue Heron on April 11 and enjoy being immersed in iambs for an evening!
Leslie
Postcard: March 27, 2017
