Sonnet of the Silent Voice
Unbounded power marks a tyrant’s choice:
He chains the infants up to keep his throne,
Refusing freedom to the silent voice.
Thus, he neglects his seeds that were once sown.
Adults prevent its birth, to make a slave,
With Lust, the master, hearts within his grip,
His “might makes right,” and marks a lowborn knave
To then be loaded on one more slave ship.
In silence many men share their support,
Deny its life, ignore the helpless soul;
In death, not labor, babes’ lives are sold short,
And where is their Lincoln for their parole?
If we seek only lust, then some can’t be?
We must seek love and want all humans free.
Sonnet of Life’s Song
My life is more than just my song to sing;
Our life inspires soft chords to strum of love,
Your part is more than just a bell to ring,
Your high notes chant with cherubs up above.
The world’s tempo, flows fast, too fast to keep
The rhythm as it skips, distorts the beat
With shallow, simple songs, none very deep—
We’ll stay on time, just watch me tap my feet.
Our melody is such a catchy tune,
With kids, we raised a merry, handsome band,
We should sing best beneath the spotlight moon,
And fill the air with notes of our own brand.
Each day a verse, our chorus is romance;
Let’s pause and rest, embrace, to steal a dance.
If I Were the Man
If I were the man God made me to be,
I’d seek each moment to kneel and to pray,
Each morning die to myself and obey,
But look ahead to live a life carefree,
Reflect how in the past I failed to see,
Then give my best to those in need today,
Seek Christ who is the light, the truth, the way,
Desire the good, obtain humility.
When I become a man hopeful and meek,
Who sees himself, and laughs without a tear,
And looks ahead toward each fight that’s mine,
I’ll win despite the fact that I am weak,
Be brave, although since youth I turned to fear,
Reflect the light of God until I shine.
Gregory Ross is an emerging poet and a pilot who lives in Stafford, Virginia. He is a Roman Catholic husband and father of 6 children.
Bravo, Gregory Ross!
Gregory, your “Sonnet of the Silent Voice” concludes with a beautifully pointed couplet. The question mark creates meaningful tension, which is resolved by the answer in the easy and forthright final line. The couplet alone makes a great pro-life motto. As an entire poem, I prefer the Petrarchan sonnet, “If I Were the Man,” although it would probably benefit from clearer last lines. Don’t have any suggestion of how to achieve that–but I look forward to reading more of your work as you emerge.