Sonets from the Chesapeke: American Sonets

Sonets from the Chesapeke is a collection of American sonets by poet, playwright, and author Stephen Evans.

From the Prologue:

The American sonet is a verse form. I found (or maybe invented) this form years ago and it suits me and my short attention span. This book documents my attempts to explore the possibilities of the form.

I have lived most of my life near the Chesapeake Bay, spent summers growing up on it’s waters, lived for a decade in Annapolis, Maryland. I have used the antique form of the name for my title, because so many of these poems are, or are inspired by, memories.

The American Sonet is a reflection. Americans are Odd, so the stanzas have five lines. Impatient, so the form has twelve lines not fourteen and one less letter in the name. Driven, so the meter is iambic. Uneven, so sometimes there are three, four, five feet to the line. Diverse, so some rhyme, some don’t. Bold, so a couplet completes the thought.

The American Sonet is a reflection. As these are a reflection of me.