The Price
(a pantoum in iambic pentameter)
The sea and sky, once beautiful and clean,
They’ve paid the price for man’s hubris and greed.
The jungle canopies were brilliant green
as nature shared her bounty, fruit and seed;
They’ve paid the price for man’s hubris and greed.
Depleting resources with wanton haste,
as nature shared her bounty, fruit and seed
until our arrogance laid poisonous waste.
Depleting resources with wanton haste,
We’ve turned a blind eye to our ruinous ways
until our arrogance laid poisonous waste.
Now smog and filth have painted it all gray.
We’ve turned a blind eye to our ruinous ways;
The jungle canopies were brilliant green –
Now smog and filth have painted it all gray;
the sea and sky, once beautiful and clean.
Today He Gets Your Hand
(a rondeau redoublé in iambic heptameter)
Today he gets your hand, my dear, but in my heart you’ll stay.
While you may trade my name for his, my girl you’ll always be,
And though you have each other now, I’m never far away.
I’ve locked away my love for you and thrown away the key.
The music starts, I bow my head; let heaven hear my plea.
Your happiness is what I want, my child, for this I pray,
And that this man I give you to, loves you unselfishly;
today he gets your hand, my dear, but in my heart you’ll stay.
A marriage has both ups and downs, like nighttime follows day,
but disagreeing doesn’t mean you can’t remain happy.
As you begin this brand new life, please don’t forget to play –
while you may trade my name for his, my girl you’ll always be.
A true love doesn’t mean that eye to eye you’ll always see,
Or that you’ll never have a fight as you go through your days.
Remember that you started out in friendship, you and he,
And though you have each other now, I’m never far away.
I’ll be right here to guide you back, if you should lose your way,
For no one else will ever love you half as much as me
and you can tell me anything, I’ll believe what you say;
I’ve locked away my love for you and thrown away the key.
So take my hand, let’s walk the aisle, and let your love shine free.
With faith and patience you’ll get through together, come what may.
The truth is, life is more complex than any love story,
but if you trust each other, and stay friends, you’ll be okay;
Today he gets your hand.
Dusty Grein is an author, poet and graphics designer from Federal Way, Washington. He currently lives in the Pacific Northwest, where his 15 year old daughter is hard at work securing her college degree while still in high school, and raising him right. When he is not busy writing, he donates a great deal of his time and graphics talent. In honor of his grandson Eddy, lost to SIDS at 13 weeks old, he creates free memorial images for bereaved families, with a special focus on infant and pregnancy loss. His blog, From Grandpa’s Heart… is followed by fans around the world.
I like “Today He Gets Your Hand” quite a bit– fourteeners often sound plodding and oppressively long, but your poem handles them with deftness and light. The theme is also interesting– a father’s love for his daughter is the dominant theme of the later plays of William Shakespeare and can serve as the foundation of a strong poem, as it does here.