Saturday 23 November 2019

Ilja Pfeijffer: Overstroomd sonnet

Inundated sonnet
in which it is high tide in Venice


While fine young ladies seek to save their trailing
skirts from swirling water that’s ankle-deep,
palazzi have to picturesquely keep
on sinking due to what’s mere human failing.

The house fronts fringed with lace-trimmed porcelain
reflect the thickly made-up vistas cast
from nearby in the water and aghast
they see how many men death can retain.

For pinchbeck gold are waterways on offer.
And underpinning has been filched by greed.
Corruption breaches what are costly dikes.

The irate gods Atlantis once did proffer
to the sea. This city was doomed to bleed
to death from vulgar profit-seeking tykes.

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