RankMost active authors
1
Jan Phillips (35)
2
louis kasatkin (93)
3
Eddie Larkin (96)
4
computer101 (31)
5
brian dunn (186)
6
RedeemedAshes (21)
7
Truthwielder (58)
8
evakaye (274)
9
The Unforgiving Minute (19)
10
Adrian (18)
11
angeliki largatzis (11)
12
troy universe (17)
13
Wombat (47)
14
CaseyPowers (20)
15
Doggerel Banksy (6)
16
notebook (157)
17
bobthebuilder (6)
18
Rai Pager (21)
19
jimbob (31)
20
wolfeyesofgoldenrays (199)
21
bowenlizzie (4)
22
Aurora (10)
23
navlohoe (38)
24
will2power (38)
25
churchmouse (435)

Shall I compare thee.

By Reiner | Posted: 06 May 2009

Views: 348
something daft I came up with this morning.
***

Shall I compare thee to a Winter's day?   
Miserable, grey, windy, and cold.                
You want me to stay with you come what may?  
And have no fun as I get old?  
                                
Shall I compare thee to my old sheep dog?
Flea-bitten, scratching, matted fur
Who lays by the fire and sleeps like a log?
Will you stay faithful, just like her?

Shall I compare thee to a racing car?
Quick off the mark but all too soon
Boiling over; not gone very far
Excuses made; the same old tune.

Shall I compare thee to an English rose?
Prickly, smelly, and spotty too
I turn from the mirror to one who knows
She says, "Not perfect, but you will do!"
All articles on this website by Reiner are copyright ©Reiner and should not be reproduced without the author's prior written consent. All opinions are the opinions of their respective authors and are not necessarily the opinions of The Writers' Circle.
Comments 
JD Higginson
06 May 2009
Very daft and thoroughly enjoyable. This is nitpicking to the extreme but can I suggest that u swap windy and grey around on line 2? The rhyming of grey and day made it feel like grey should end the sentence so moving it further towards the start would remove that automatic deduction.

As I said, it's a very trivial point that shouldn't detract from the merits of a good piece.

Good job.

JD
Reiner
06 May 2009
There you go, JD, all done. Pleased you liked it.

Reiner.
JD Higginson
06 May 2009
Sorry if it seemed a bit picky of me to mention that minor point but yes, I did like it. It brightened up my day.

Happy writing.

JD
zion613
06 May 2009
Clever...I like seeing parodies of the great poets. This is well done. ;)
Reiner
06 May 2009
JD, this is what this site should be all about, constructive criticism. I think it does sound better.

Zion, I was going to have the first line as the original, Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day. The second line would be as is. However, I thought my take on and English summer might not be understood by our friends abroad, so I changed Summer to Winter.
Do I take it that the third verse was understood as 'sexual'? It was meant to be that way without being too obvious for younger readers.

Reiner.
poppy101
06 May 2009
Yeah Reiner I got the third verse - although I did think to myself does he mean this as it sounds!  Good work and I like the way lines 1 and 3 rhyme while 2 and 4 do as well - one for me to try I think.
Reiner
06 May 2009
Poppy, you're obviously not as daft as I look. Hence no picture of me as an avatar!
I have no idea what the style of abab cdcd etc is called. It all depends on the 'beat'. At the moment our writing group are writing Sapphic Odes which have the same end of line rhyme basis as Shall I compare...but the meter is three lines of 4 iambic pentameters and one line of 2 iambic pentameters. If you've not heard of Sapphic Odes before, I'll post my not very good attempt.
Jennifer Munro
06 May 2009
Loads of fun and an unexpected ending
Reiner
06 May 2009
Hello friedegg. I don't think I have had comments from you before. Forgive me if I'm wrong. 
I'm pleased you like the poem and thank you for letting me know. All comments, whether good bad or indifferent are important. Without them, we wouldn't know if a wider audience would appreciate and pay us for what we do.

Reiner.

Writer
Reiner

Total posts:
146
Roles: Writer
Stoke on Trent, UNITED KINGDOM
61 years of age. One published novel. The sequel is finished but finding it hard to place. Have been writing on and off for many years. Prefer to write horror. Also write stories and rhymes for young children. ... (Read more)