This poem is part of the NaPoWriMo 2024 challenge to write a poem a day in April. This is the prompt for April 27:
Today we’d like to challenge you to write an “American sonnet.” What’s that? Well, it’s like a regular sonnet but . . . fewer rules? Like a traditional Spencerian or Shakespearean sonnet, an American sonnet is shortish (generally 14 lines, but not necessarily!), discursive, and tends to end with a bang, but there’s no need to have a rhyme scheme or even a specific meter.
Once my dreams gleamed with hope,
Then, promises shattered, suffocated in deceit,
The pain of betrayal, a sharp blade in my heart,
Tears marked my face, where belief and loyalty faded.
I offered my heart, a precious and sincere gift,
But you callously discarded it,
In your dishonesty, my world darkened,
The ache of your betrayal lingered.
Oh, love, once tender, now tainted by deception,
Moments once cherished now clouded with sorrow,
I grieved…