Narcissus in Candlelight

I take thy mantle, answer the call

To face the darkness swirling within;

Let ink stand witness—let the blackness fall

I call the pool; abyss—reveal thy skin

You cannot write "motherfucker" in verse

Can you?—can you? I fling thy name at glass

It splits like lightning—incantation’s curse

The artist's hand and perfect shadow's pass

See Narcissus bows; as the mirror owns praise

Naked and shamed for loving only him;

Dark shadows ever present, across my days

As light runs thin and edges the dim

I realise I'm not as special as I've sworn

The mirror keeps the better part—I'm torn.

*

Thanks for reading!

Author's Notes: So, since I joined Vocal, I have actively avoided trying to write a sonnet because I feared it. That's right, Paul Stewart feared a poetic form. Then they went and announced this challenge, The Sonnet of Shadows, and that forced my hand. So. You're welcome. It has also been put forward for the Masks We Wear challenge, too.

For me, this draws inspiration from three people who deserve shout-outs.

Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred, because he's king of traditional sonnets, and I won't hear any arguments against that, not even from him.

D.J. Reddall, because he's the king of ekphrastic sonnets, and I won't hear any arguments against that, not even from him.

Shaun Walters, because his latest Top Story, is just dynamite. The language choices and form are blistering. Check out Cicadas Scream.

Please give these guys a read if you haven't already - you'll never be bored by anything they produce.

Onto my poem. My first attempt at a sonnet. Carvaggio, Narcissus and a lot of internal battling.

So, yeah, a little bit of inspiration from them, Carvaggio, who has always been one of my favourite artists because of all the shadow and light. He uses chiaroscuro and tenebrism, techniques that involve extreme contrasts between light and dark to highlight areas of interest, create a sense of depth, and emphasize the drama and emotion of the scene. I felt that was a fun link back to the challenge prompt.

Also, Narcissus is such an intriguing fellow. Tragic and intriguing. This poem is definitely autobiographical (bet you already figured that out.)