So I randomly happened upon this BlogHer post about writing a Sestina poem. Now, I am not a poet. By any stretch. But this seemed more like math and wordsmithing more than poetry.
There’s a ton I have to write about. Our trip. My consult yesterday. Decisions to be made. But this spoke to me. And I wrote. It may not be any good. But I’m glad to get it out.
Sestina for the Infertile
“Let’s try to have a baby,” she offered up with joy,
Not knowing she was broken.
She lived her life until then knowing but one dream.
And now that she was no longer alone
having taken a leap and tied the knot,
a family would be the greatest expression of love.
Month after month they tried for a child to love.
Each month she expected the next cycle would bring them joy.
How could it not?
She didn’t know she was broken.
Month after month, feeling more alone,
wondering if she’d ever achieve her dream.
Finally, miraculously, that dream
came true. A family created of love.
Not just one baby arriving alone,
but two bundles of precious joy.
Parents and children; bonds never to be broken.
Their love for two tied in a forever knot.
Two grew and grew, yet she did not
believe two was the end of her dream.
But losses left her emotionally broken.
“At least you have two to love,
two that bring you joy,”
people say, “at least you aren’t alone.”
Does feeling emotionally alone
count for anything? Her insides are in knots.
Living two lives – one of joy
and another contemplating the end of a dream.
The ultimate in synchronicity. Love,
in a heart that may forever be ever so slightly broken.
Blessed and broken.
In a room full of people but alone.
Reaching inside to find the true depth of her love,
reaching for the promise a life not
controlled by the pursuit of a dream
but the gift of a life touched by joy.
Doesn’t the light of joy mend a heart broken
over her dreams left alone to wither in the dark?
No, the light
does nothing to eradicate the dark, it lets the love in to banish her fear of it.
Where Love and Chaos Reign 
That’s an amazing poem… you write beautifully 🙂 xoxo
Beautiful!
wow, you say you are not be a poet, but this is a beautiful poem. And while some people think sestinas are easier than other poetry, I actually think it is pretty hard to write a good sestina–and this one is very well done. The repetition doesn’t feel clunky, each stanza flows neatly into the next, and wow, what an emotional punch to each one. And I love the last line.
I’m going to echo the commenter above — it is very hard to write a good sestina because that repetition can go either way — creating movement or sounding like a thud. And you created beautiful movement.