Friday, May 2, 2014

Oh Havana...

















In the form of Shakespeare's forte, (whose 450th birthday was last week) a sonnet.  Tony asks us to write one today at  dversepoets.com  I think it is a lovely form, but little time to do it full justice. I've never been to Havana,  just tired to imagine it.



The stars seen from Havana are brighter
They say walking the wharf at night mends hearts
Pain becomes a stranger, the load lighter
'Seek gaiety', the nickel moon imparts

For changing fashion, it could be Paris 
Orange blossoms, tobacco scents set the mood
Zarzuela dancers tap on the terrace -
must have something to do with latitude

Shadows embrace old written purple prose
of colonial times, revolution
She remembers pigeons in the white snow,
long ago caresses no illusion

Nightingales announce morning skies umber
with the dawn comes new lovers' soft slumber






22 comments:

  1. oh i would love to visit havana one day... it sounds fascinating...and all the pictures i have seen of cuba so far seem to have that special light and mood....i can imagine that it touches you in many ways... maybe one day i'll make it there...who knows... smiles

    ReplyDelete
  2. Loved this Katy, you had me looking up 'umber' always great to come across a new word so very well done and Havana sounds like an interesting place.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful words Katy! Perfect Shakespearean! Hopefully Havana is really what it seems!

    Hank

    ReplyDelete
  4. what a great sense of place you have created in this...i think it would be cool to visit havana sometime....you give it a nice texture and def not all sugar....i like how you used your sonnet....

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love how created the place & imagery of Havana, specially the second stanza ~ I found the form challenging too but good for you to try it ~ Take care ~

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh this is beautiful I love how it moves...really lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The first line really pulls me in.. A dream of Havana as it might be, might have been or maybe just a dream. To me visiting a place sometimes breaks an illusion... But still Havana sounds lovely...

    ReplyDelete
  8. entrancing...you bring this place to life with a variety of senses.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Lovely sonnet and you eviked the feeling of Havana with its sounds and scents.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love the flow of this, Katy, and the way your rhymes are so natural - the best words in the best places, I'm pretty sure you know that the meter is a bit off in places - and I'm equally sure that, given more time than a dVerse prompt allows, you could easily smooth that out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really appreciate your feedback, Tony...something I've needed along the way in the way of constructive criticism. Thank you.

      Delete
  11. We share a commonality here; I, too, nailed the flow & rhyme scheme, but flubbed the feet & meter. Still your poem is stunning, lovely, idyllic, & I have an actor pal, Adrian Sparks, in Havana right now, playing Hemingway in a new movie; PAPA. Havana, the home of thousands of classic American cars, would be a cool travel spot.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I really like this a lot...especially when I read it non-metrically, it flowed beautifully. As Tony said, "the best words in the best places". By the way, I took you up on your challenge to write a more serious sonnet.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Love your take on the Shakespearean sonnet. Lovely textures, incorporating color, place, feel, and smell. I felt as though I'd been there. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I wonder if walking the wharf in the wee hours would be very different in Cuba than elsewhere? Romance transcends boundaries, but then you add the good tobacco and inspiring music and take me there.

    ReplyDelete
  15. it had the feel of an exotic place, nice

    ReplyDelete
  16. :) I find peace after reading this poem, very nice.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Beautiful poem, really enjoyed reading it!

    ReplyDelete

All comments, constructive and otherwise, are welcome and appreciated here. Thank you to those who show an interest in my quirky style of writing, photography, painting, and presenting a feeling or thought and for stopping by A Dwelling by the Sea..