One Hundred and Fifty-Five Sonnets - 35. mark of equality and a flash of anger

wow AC these are very powerful .. i'm gonna let them settle and come back again likely with more to say xo

"Where one energy fuels both in duet!

This is an absolutely beautiful line in #69. Full of expressive emotion.

"When it just toughens us to be more diehard"

So much is said in that line. #70 seems to be full of so many emotions. What screams most to me is frustration. Frustration of being counted for who you are. A person just trying to love and exist. Doesn't matter the orientation.

69 is real love ... love is nothing if not always mending  ... and there is always mending of one sort or another.  Because on those days when you just cannot do anything anymore.. there he is .. your strength, hope the one who loves you... beautiful poem, AC.

70  why is it hard?  i dont know.  I do know having had a lot of experience with the ones who are 'normal'  a lot of them would not like their locked doors opened for us to see... because behind them is a lot of 'un'normal.  Judge not lest ye be judged .. and frankly most of 'them' wouldn't pass muster.   

Two strong, emotional and hard-hitting poems AC. 

"For though separate, their motion is a blend."

"The perfect dance immortal, ever-set

To chase and follow, and never die,

Where one energy fuels both in duet."

I say these lines out loud, and each time is better than the last. It's like a quiet calm of just knowing, that come what may you are loved so don bother fighting it.. 

#70: I don't think there will ever be a proper answer or reason as to why.. why people judge, why they hate, why they won't allow anyone, the right to just be. If we are lucky enough to have someone (mr.69)  whose kiss will be the salve that heals all, then it makes it a little less bitter at the end of it all. 

I loved these. You are a brilliant man AC.

On 9/6/2017 at 5:46 PM, Mikiesboy said:

wow AC these are very powerful .. i'm gonna let them settle and come back again likely with more to say xo

Thanks, as always, Tim. I'm glad you let them settle, and look forward to answering your comments below. Muah

On 9/6/2017 at 9:34 PM, BlindAmbition said:

"Where one energy fuels both in duet!

This is an absolutely beautiful line in #69. Full of expressive emotion.

 

"When it just toughens us to be more diehard"

So much is said in that line. #70 seems to be full of so many emotions. What screams most to me is frustration. Frustration of being counted for who you are. A person just trying to love and exist. Doesn't matter the orientation.

Thank you, JP. This is a great review, and I appreciate it. You have a beautiful take on No. 69, and No. 70 is indeed full to the brim with frustration. A random, homophobic comment was made in front of Tony, and he - like so many of us have had to do in our lives - was forced to laugh it off, like it did not apply to him. 

Thanks again <3   

On 9/7/2017 at 3:28 AM, Mikiesboy said:

69 is real love ... love is nothing if not always mending  ... and there is always mending of one sort or another.  Because on those days when you just cannot do anything anymore.. there he is .. your strength, hope the one who loves you... beautiful poem, AC.

 

70  why is it hard?  i dont know.  I do know having had a lot of experience with the ones who are 'normal'  a lot of them would not like their locked doors opened for us to see... because behind them is a lot of 'un'normal.  Judge not lest ye be judged .. and frankly most of 'them' wouldn't pass muster.   

 

Two strong, emotional and hard-hitting poems AC. 

Thanks, Tim. Beautiful review

Your sentiments on No. 70 reminds me a Melville quote (which I can only paraphrase here). He said it was wrong for society to pass moral judgement, and THEN break down doors to scream 'sinner!' Anyway, your thoughts here put me in mind of that. 

For No. 69, your feedback is very true. People in relationships must be prepared to forgive, or the love won't endure for long.

Muah <3      

On 9/7/2017 at 9:25 AM, Parker Owens said:

I loved both of these. Sonnet 69, aptly named, was not overshadowed in my mind by 70. Rather, you threw into sharper relief the love that the foolish scorn. Sonnet 70 complements number 69 in a way, but it is this one I will return to. You easily invoke the almost mystical idea of the circle. Your appeal to the infinite captivated me, with perfect dance immortal...to chase and follow....one energy fuels both in duet....the final couplet was affirmation of love and connection, and a marvelous recollection of the endless.

 

70 resonates with me, and maybe with many, as the voice of frustration strikes a chord. why is being Gay so goddamn fucking hard?  One can take this twice over - hard for people who have no right to be in the judgement business, and perhaps hard in the reader's experience, personally. I love the sestet - the years go on, and it is getting late to reason where their dank anxiety delves - these lines have powerful images ('dank anxiety' speaks volumes), and time is indeed growing short for many things.  And then, like sunshine on a winter day, the last two lines break upon the bleak landscape.

 

As a pair, these are powerful and inspire deep and lasting images.

Thank you, Parker. If you think about it, the numeral 69 resembles the infinity mark as well; at least to me it does   So, I love your comments here tying in all the images with the 'perfection' of a circle in motion. That makes me happy. It also makes me smile to think that you return to these Sonnets to read again. 

Yes, No. 70 is a challenge. It was meant to be only one to Tony - albeit a gentle and supportive one - but a confrontation as well to all those who look down on Gay people for whom they love. The sense of being normal BS is the last bastion for these people to hide, and quite frankly, we as Gay folks need to rip the bandage off and let the sun get to that final, unfortunately enduring tool in their arsenal of apathy.   

Thanks again for a great review

On 9/7/2017 at 6:14 PM, Defiance19 said:

"For though separate, their motion is a blend."

"The perfect dance immortal, ever-set

To chase and follow, and never die,

Where one energy fuels both in duet."

 

I say these lines out loud, and each time is better than the last. It's like a quiet calm of just knowing, that come what may you are loved so don bother fighting it.. 

 

#70: I don't think there will ever be a proper answer or reason as to why.. why people judge, why they hate, why they won't allow anyone, the right to just be. If we are lucky enough to have someone (mr.69)  whose kiss will be the salve that heals all, then it makes it a little less bitter at the end of it all. 

 

I loved these. You are a brilliant man AC.

Brilliant? *blushes*

These are great comments, Def. I love that you quoted No. 69, and let me know you recite it out loud. That makes my heart glow

On No. 70, I've never been sure that the final two lines have enough room to do their work. By which I mean, have enough time to properly set aside the anger/frustration of the other 12 lines, but people seem to feel the sudden shift is what it is: a sigh of letting go and refocusing on the important things. A loved one is certainly one of the important things.

Thanks again. A million kisses <3  

Both wonderful AC.

70, Well being Gay shouldn't be hard. In my own experience I've never compromised, never hidden who I am.  I don't mean to preach, I do understand different times. But in my own time, I am who I am and if people don't like it, then look the other way. I love my husband and I will not hide it. As you say, rip off the bandage, stand up and say, we are here and we are not going away.

On 9/24/2017 at 7:31 PM, MichaelS36 said:

Both wonderful AC.

 

70, Well being Gay shouldn't be hard. In my own experience I've never compromised, never hidden who I am.  I don't mean to preach, I do understand different times. But in my own time, I am who I am and if people don't like it, then look the other way. I love my husband and I will not hide it. As you say, rip off the bandage, stand up and say, we are here and we are not going away.

Thank you, Mike! Your comments make me want to look around and ask what time it is in the world, but I suppose, unfortunately, there are places just now lashing out with bogus legal sanctions against our kind. (Tanzania comes to mind...)

Thanks again for your comments. They are well appreciated