It's easy
by Tanya Wendling
It's easy to compose Shakespearean sonnets
just hum the rhythm and then add some words —
first find your meaning and then put rimes on it;
rimes needn't be exact (like "words" and "birds")
but actually can bring the most delight
when from unlikely corners they are dragged
and laid beside their fellows in the light
to startle like a cat out of the bag.
But most of all, be sure to frequently
allude to lovers whom you give no name
so scholars bored with art's uncertainty
can peep into your life without Tom's shame
and in each final couplet you create
will find a coupling that their work fun makes.