Sonnet Title: The Pounce of the Hawk

Sonnet Title: The Pounce of the Hawk

On top of his perch, he takes no rest: (a)

looking among the grass and fields to find his prey. (b)

With razor vision, he can see the mountain, field and bay. (b)

Ever so silently without moving his chest. (a)

At any moment, he will pounce from his nest. (a)

The mice flee for they would not be wise to stay, (b)

They run through the grass hoping it will not come their way. (b)

The hawk of the night knows best. (a)

Speak not of the horrors of the wild, (c)

This bird is doing what it has always done. (d)

In the cycle of nature, it is more innocent than a child, (c)

It takes no pleasure nor deems it fun, (d)

Therefore, it need not be hated or reviled. (c)

It will become extinct if it is outdone. (d)

The Hawk

The Italian sonnet uses the iambic pentameter, tetrameter or the hexameter. The most common form is the iambic pentameter. Generally, the Italian sonnet has two sections that include the octave (abbaabba) and the sestet (cdcdcd). The two sections work together to define a problem and then a conclusion to that problem.

Originally founded by Sicilian poet Giacomo da Lentini the sonnet means a little song. The octave is a proposition followed by the sestet that gives the conclusion. In this poem, the octave is the hawk that wisely waits to find prey. He chases and scares the mice. The second part is the sestet that comes to the conclusion that the hawk’s behavior is an embedded part of nature. The hawk is not cruel but only doing what nature has told it to do in seeking its own survival.