Covenant Poetry at Paper Poetry

Petrarch of the Covenant

A Petrarchan sonnet

Photo by Amir Mortezaie on Unsplash

Paper Poetry’s June Poetry Prompt

Whether it’s delving deeper into Cohen’s covenant; making a pact with your past, present, future self; ranting about politicians and their broken promises; reflecting on God’s Covenants; scripting a poetry covenant of your own; wherever the topic takes you and your poetry, we invite you to join us for our June poetry prompt: covenant. — Carolyn Hastings

Definition of Covenant: A covenant is a solemn, binding agreement or promise between two or more parties. While a contract focuses on transactions and obligations, a covenant goes much deeper. It is highly personal, relational, and establishes an unbreakable bond of loyalty. — (Merriam-Webster)

The Petrarchan (or Italian) sonnet is split in two stanzas: the “octave” or “octet” (of 8 lines) and the “sestet” (of 6 lines), for a total of 14 lines.

The octave typically introduces the theme or problem using a rhyme scheme of ABBAABBA.

The sestet provides resolution for the poem and may follow various rhyme schemes but usually CDECDE, CDCCDC, CDDECE or CDDCEE.

Example of a Petrarchan Sonnet:

William Wordsworth’s “London, 1802”

**Octave **Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour: England hath need of thee: she is a fen Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen, Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower, Have forfeited their ancient English dower Of inward happiness. We are selfish men; Oh! raise us up, return to us again; And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.

**Sestet **Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart; Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea: Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free, So didst thou travel on life’s common way, In cheerful godliness; and yet thy heart The lowliest duties on herself did lay.

Now, I present my own Petrarchan sonnet using the same rhyme scheme as the one by Wordsworth:

Photo by Author: Text added via Picfont

A Covenant of Joy

Look! Admire the beauty of this flower: Appreciate the way it makes you feel. All ailments that affect you must be healed, Because these pretty petals wield the power, Even when it’s lashed by heavy showers The colour never fades but remains sealed; So do not look away, keep your eyes peeled; It’s better to have beauty, than be dour.

Banish all signs of darkness from your heart; Replace it with a covenant of joy: Proclaim your case my friend, this is no ploy, For truth and love are all you really need, And flower gardens that are all in bloom Will promise more as each flower drops its seed.

2026 © John Hansen: All rights reserved. Australian writer

[embed]Poetry Holds the Promise Breathing eternity into lifemedium.com

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