Poem links Journal links
Grace A Thin Slice of Anxiety (poem 1)
Leap A Thin Slice of Anxiety (poem 2)
Messengers Brushfire Literature & Arts (p 18)
Mocha Wars The Nonconformist Magazine
The Other Boy A Thin Slice of Anxiety (poem 3)
Santa Better Than Starbucks (featured 6)
This is a Shakespearean sonnet, a traditional form for romantic poetry with 3 quatrains and a couplet in iambic pentameter and the rhyme scheme ababcdcdefefgg. The challenge was to conform to these restrictions but make it feel fresh and natural while retaining the musicality of a sonnet. To that end, I combined strict iambic pentameter with some extreme enjambment and used a mix of slant and perfect rhymes. I also bookended the story with a fantastical metaphor to set the tone and provide perspective. The poem began in a Writer's Studio class and drew inspiration from Julie Kane's wonderful poem As If.
Rob reading Mocha Wars at CounterPulse in San Francisco , 10/7/2021
Steam Ticket (May 2022)
Soundings East (spring 2022)
Cider Press Review (August 2022)
Jelly Bucket (summer 2022)
Evening Street Review (fall 2022)
Pennsylvania English (fall 2022)
Talking River Review (fall 2022)
Whistling Shade (fall 2022)
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