Sonnet III: Good Taste

One rule about the necessary structure of a sonnet (though it isn't always followed) is this: the first eight lines will present a theme or argument, and the next six will begin a change or turn in this argument. It should all be wrapped up, neatly and succinctly, in that final couplet (the last two lines). This structure developed from the original Petrarchan sonnet, which also contained 14 lines but was clearly divided between the first octet (eight lines) and the final sestet (six, good, you're catching on) by it's beastly rhyme scheme.

Why beastly, you ask? Well, Petrach was an Italian, you see, and the Italians cheat at poetry by having a lot more words that rhyme with each other than we do. Which is just linguistically unfair, if you ask me. So if you try to write a Petrarchan sonnet in English, the result is often hilarious as you begin trying to find third and fourth rhymes for the same sound. This wiki sums the form up pretty accurately, if you're curious.

With my sonnet today I attempted to take a clear turn after the first eight lines, from the introduction to the theme into the deeper "metaphor" of the poem (metaphor is in quotation marks because I don't want to claim that this poem is deep, or anything). Extended metaphor, or conceit, is also a tradition in sonnets.

Sonnet III: Seasonal Flavors

There’s something everyday in apple pie,
An old familiar sense of standard fare,
A treat on which pie-eaters can rely
To always be in season, everywhere.

Not so for pumpkin – fickle orange gourd!
A flavor never found outside of Autumn
And ne’er could Shamrock Shakes,* although adored,
Be found past March by customers who sought them.

No longtime lover’s lips could match the taste
Of ephemeral eggnog with a hint
Of nutmeg, or hot chocolate deftly laced
With temporary Christmas peppermint.

Some flavors linger, winter through the fall –
And yet, the sexiest are seasonal.

*For those who may be tragically unaware, the Shamrock Shake is a sort-of minty, delightfully ambiguous green shake served at McDonald's in March, in honor of St. Patrick's Day.