The Unworthy Lover Pleads His Case
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 49, Updated
Against that time, when you see I’m a jerk,
Unworthy of a smile or second look,
A rank, pathetic, worthless piece-of-work
Which somehow, once, you willfully mistook
For someone you could love, I tell you now
That you were wrong, inviting you to see
This misfit who—I don’t know why or how—
You saw as someone different from me.
Against that time, which would come, I declare
That I will save you all that pain and stress.
I know, and knew, that it was never fair
For you to think me worthy. I confess,
Though I enjoyed your favor, you were wrong.
My Love, I’ve been this loser all along.
“The Corpseside Grill”
I overheard a phrase, or thought I heard it:
“The Corpseside Grill.” That second I was off!
I did not stop to think that was absurd. It
was much too good. Each patron had a cough
and hacked and hacked. There was a vase for phlegm
they passed around. Someone would rasp, “Where’s Joe?”
and they would laugh. “He’s dead.” A joke for them
that everybody got. They all would know
the sound of hearses just outside, the wail
of sirens. One would shout, “Let’s have a drink!”
They’d rush the bar. The last one there might fail
to make it. When that happened, none would think,
Well, that’s too bad, since they all chose the dive.
Each knew that none would leave the place alive.
The Sonnet: A Defense
Scorn not the sonnet. It is not its fault
That it’s become, well, somewhat out of date.
Things serve, then are replaced. That is the fate
Of everything. Time calls, then calls a halt
To useful service. That’s not an assault
On worth. We know, and can anticipate
Sure alteration to another state.
In time all precious things end in some vault.
Still, one can bring them out and dust them off.
They may have uses. Seen in a new light,
They may shine still. Oh sure, some folks will scoff,
But some will see how somehow they’ll be right
For certain subjects, used in some new way.
Don’t write them off. Let sonnets have their say.