Long answer to RLK….

My!  All that from a short note (for me) on haiku!

Oddly striking in all of this: most of my poetry is freeverse, just not what I choose to publish.  Early on though, my sonnet writing began.  And, because I was emulating/idolizing great writers I most admired, and because my dearest loves it so, I began using (however imperfectly) Elizabethan and Early Modern English.  Even then, I found my way to more modern English.  You will see it here and there represented.  Older forms of English can be more difficult because of the syllabic changes in verb conjugations.  As such, modern English is rather more flexible which, of course, is why I use the more difficult form.  Besides the obvious, it’s the greater challenge.

Most flexible though is not English at all. I am not sure you speak any French–which I understand some Canadians do– but if you did (or if you do) you would know that all pronounced syllables in French are given the same weight.  There are no accented syllables at all.  Therefore it is an ideal language for writing poetry.   (Reading and writing poetry in French was, in fact, the goal of my studying the language–because of a desire to read Charles Baudelaire in his own language)

All that aside, When I began this site, I found myself moving more toward older forms of English.  Not only because my sweet wife loves it so, but also because it is more of a challenge.  But, early on, after my initial beginning years ago, most of my sonnets were written in modern language and dealt often with more modern subjects.  Although, of course, no matter what form of English one uses, some subjects are universal and change rather little over the centuries.  Many subjects–as were many aspects of the human condition–are little different now than they were in the ancient world–Rome or Greece.

But, just as you do, I suppose, I write whatever I desire, and although some subjects have universal appeal, I do not seek to appeal.  If I did, I might abandon not only sonnet writing, but poetry altogether; because there are much better ways of communicating with, or appealing to, if you will, very large groups of people.  This, of course is why people who write verse in a more current style have many more followers than do I–having, even at “our” level of obscurity–many thousands or tens of thousands of followers, while I only have about 100.  Heh…  that, and I do not follow of “rule of threes,” so to speak; or in plain English:  I do not do what is necessary to accumulate followers.  Honestly, I never expected to have any.  And if I had not posted a 9/11 themed sonnet on 9/11/2012, I might have gone even longer without any.  Because at that time, I really wasn’t tagging my entries.  Although, not long after that, I started doing so, because it seemed, somehow, “neighbourly” to do so.

I have never had any trouble with analysis, when it comes to writing; however–given that, and strangely enough–I agree with you regarding analysis.  All that must or should come much later.  Even in my case, and I am admittedly of a science background, I simply read poetry and loved it.  Then tried to write things as I had read.  Developing love for something is important.  In modern education “hero-worship,” so called, is also discouraged; however it is, in large part how most of us who become passionate about any endeavour begin such endeavours.  As such,  and in the context of love, such aspects of admiration are very important.

My best friend (and oldest still living) has perhaps 40 or 45 IQ points above my 140 or so, and he is one of the most systematic individuals I have ever met; however, even he still spent 10 or so years simply reading whatever he loved to read as a boy and in teenage years, before he ever performed any real analysis of anything he read.

When it comes to the accessibility of my sonnet writing, I have one or two ideas.  For example I think you have pointed out two things about my sonnets, and although no one, perhaps least of all me, can be spot-on when it comes to self-analysis, I would venture this much:  1st, my scientific background makes my writing, in large part, more literal and less metaphoric (in general)  2nd, and in stark contrast, I am undeniably a romantic soul.   I think there may be something in those which makes me write my sonnets in a way that may teach (at least to some) and perhaps also be emotionally moving.  This, of course is often the part teachers have trouble with; or the importance of which, they may underestimate.

A proper school, until fairly recently (in old-people years) did not have textbooks or any kind of summary or survey material at all, but used only source material; e.g. real books.  This is where, for most, enthusiasm starts.   There was little there, even for me, at a tender age, about which to become fascinated.  Because a young child usually latches onto something–one particular thing, and often one thing at a time–and dives into it head first if allowed to discover it.   Survey material is not the best for that.  However…  There are but a scant handful of teachers with the educational background to teach without such material.  I believe they often know little more about their subjects than their students.  They often merely follow along with their teachers’ manual spoon-feeding them–little more than security guards, perhaps.  It is very difficult for a teacher to share his enthusiasm if he has none himself.

I’m not sure though that I would want to be a teacher intentionally, but enjoy answering questions when someone wants to know.  I would of course not be able to teach in government run schools even if I did desire such a profession.  I have done some tutoring here and there–mostly in mathematics; but only for friends.

As I mentioned above, I do–although of late, less often on this sonnet project–write something in modern English.  Jan 13, 1012 has a sonnet in modern English and it is even topical.  Generally people will stay mute on my more contentious work, however, which this one certainly is.  Technically, it was interesting to write because the first letters of each line spell something.  And it is executed in a rhymescheme of my own devising which I sometimes use.

Also, my prose–which I do not, as of yet, publish anywhere, is, with one small exception, in modern English.  And generally, you would find it much more informal than the way in which I here write.  It might, in fact surprise you just how informal.  I do have three characters about which I very much enjoy writing.  These speak, and are able to write with differing degrees of formality, having as they do, very different backgrounds, and merely having in common one or two very, very important elements of their respective  characters.

If you have been reading my sonnets from very early on, you probably have noticed the variance in language and subject therein.  Quite often, the subjects are topical in some way, although only part of the time are these sonnets written in modern English.  There are in fact a few modern terms or concepts thrown down here and there, although not many.

As far as things like this, perhaps:

The G-drive folded space to ninety gees;
Our polariser hummed its loud dissent.
Yet not one drop of coffee did I spill;
Or notice this miraculous event.

I never knew what kind of expertise
Kept “Down” remaining steady toward the floor;
I merely docked my cup and dialled “fill,”
Relaxed, and settled down to drink some more.

I never had a moment of unease;
The J-drive took us supra-light, no doubt;
I only heard the Neumann engine’s shrill,
Until the power levels evened out.

But one false move by someone, while I yawn,
And half a microsecond, I’d be gone.

At any rate, for your enjoyment, here is something much more modern which I will post on The 29th of January–subject to lucasing, of course.