Another Sonnet

Alan Haigh

I had a long spell of writer's block. Frustration and despair had been the order of the day. I remembered a technique advocated by a friend. To find an old, unfinished poem at random from an envelope and select a single line which inspired me. I found one based on the saying 'all that glisters is not gold'.

Two or three hour's hard work followed, punctuated by self-doubt and harsh criticism of myself. A sonnet resulted - quite singular in my own collection of poems. It was about highly charged emotion, including tears. It featured a crinkled autumn leaf and its passing before winter had commenced.

My friend was due to visit me again. As I anticipated, he showed surprise at my successful use of his technique for overcoming writer's block. He commented with elation on reading my work - 'it has worked!' Fourteen lines of highly charged iambic pentameter. I desperately sought an expert opinion on whether or not it was acceptable in the mainstream repertoire.

I wondered if the poem's highly charged emotions might even have caused the writer's block in the first place.