What a year. Really, we had such a great year — my friends Sara, Laura, Tricia, Andi, Tanita, Kelly and I — writing poetry together, a new form each month. A new form that we invariably thought would be easier than it ended up being. But still, somehow, a pleasure.
So, the grand finale? A Crown Sonnet. Seven linked sonnets, each one beginning with the last line of the previous one and the final one wrapping up with the very first line from the first sonnet. And because we like a challenge, we thought, “Hey, let’s make them all about the periodic table of the elements. We each get a row.”
Which sounds old-fashioned, maybe, except when you consider that just this week a whole slew of new elements was added to the table! (This is unbelievable to me, this fluidity of truth and beauty.)
ANYWAY, you guys, here’s mine. It’s a lowly little sonnet — the fifth in a series of seven. Read it, but then go over to Tricia’s and read the whole thing. It’s kind of awesome. If I do say so. Enjoy.
Sonnet V
It’s odd to think it’s metal, and not stone
that we bite down on, gnash and grind at night.
Fine silver mixed with tin, its pauper clone,
alloyed with other charms to fend off blight.
The way these chemicals transist, set in —
you’d never know they weren’t a part of us.
Perhaps they are as native as our sins
the framework for our aches, the messy truss.
Rubidium — are we made up of you?
And cadmium and antimony too?
Unstable ores that blow the earth askew
so there’s no fault, no consequence undue.
But what if we own up, apologize:
Don’t blame the elements for our demise.
Each individual sonnet can be found by following these links:
Row 1: Laura Purdie Salas
Row 2:Tricia Stohr-Hunt
Row 3: Sara Lewis Holmes
Row 4: Kelly Fineman
Row 5: Mine
Row 6: Tanita Davis
Row 7: Tricia again
Your sonnet makes me want to have triplets, so I can name them Rubidium and Cadmium and Antimony. 🙂
There is nothing lowly about this poem, Liz. “Perhaps they are as native as our sins
the framework for our aches, the messy truss.” Wow. I kind of gasp as I read that. And tin as a “pauper clone” of silver? Youza. The rhythm and the imagery here is stunning.
Yours in poetry,
Sara
ha ha ha — the triplets!!!
Of course, there are those lovely Hilary McKay books, where the kids are actually named after the elements: Caddy from Cadmium, Indigo, Rose (Permanent Rose), and their adopted cousin-sibling, Saffron/Saffy.
“pauper clone,” “native as our sins,” and the ending couplet. Wow. Such power in your words and images, Liz! xoxo
I honestly never would’ve thought I COULD have written a sonnet about a row of elements, but there you go. Thus is the power of poetry sisters…. xxxoxox
I never thought I could write about the elements, either, and even having done it, I’m still not convinced it’s possible. I especially love these two lines, and how so much of the sense of you poem hangs on them:
The way these chemicals transist, set in —
you’d never know they weren’t a part of us.
…you’d never know they weren’t a part of us, these native sins. Wow. You have a way with words, Liz. Your enthusiasm for this really yanked on me and pulled me into it, so thank you.
I’m now ready for the final, next one, but want to say I wish I was a science teacher now to share what all of you have done to show the beauty & the mystery of the Periodic Table. This time, the sounds coming out of the lovely names, and then a finality of mixing irresponsibly. I am hopeful: “Don’t blame the elements for our demise.”
“this fluidity of truth and beauty” — I think this describes what you ladies made in this crown sonnet…and in all your other collaborations.
Your final couplet is a zinger.
Who knew that the names of these elements were so poetic or could be so much fun to say? Love the final couplet, and the way you’ve all managed to fit these sonnets together, each adding to a greater whole.
Like Sara’s post, I love your introduction, particularly these words – “This is unbelievable to me, this fluidity of truth and beauty.”
From the first time I read this, I couldn’t stop thinking about all the silver amalgam fillings I had as a kid, and began to wonder about the other elements that make up who we are, both naturally occurring and those we put in our bodies.
I’m so pleased with how much science everyone has managed to pack in their poems while remaining true to the beauty of poetry. And this is anything but a lowly little poem.