| "Butterflies" was the first sonnet I ever wrote. I became fascinated with the structure and sound of Shakespearian sonnets and decided to try my hand at it. I fell in love with the sonnet format. While I can understand the aversion some have to sonnets, there is also a great beauty in them. Sure, there is some strict constraints in the structure, but it provides opportunity for unique beauty. You always know what you're getting in a sonnet, and you always know how to read it for the most part. You also understand the flow of thought in most sonnets just because it's a sonnet. Most importantly, it requires the author to figure out how to get a complex idea across in a very short space and with great constraints. Reading a free verse poem is like watching an escape artist escape from a locked vault, while reading a sonnet is watching him escape from the vault while chained, handcuffed, and in a striaght jacket. It's no coincidence that the man who said "brevity is the measure of wit" is also one who excelled at the sonnet format. "Butterflies" is my first attempt at a Shakespearian sonnet, and it also came at the height of my newfound emotions towards Catalina, so it is a bit...well...mushy. So here it is, my heart on my sleeve. |

butterflies.pdf |