Sonnet for Wyatt
(June 7 – Sept. 29, 2021)
by William Hoover
Because he peered so sharply, he soon spied
That it was Earth, not he, most saddled with
Great woes that wailed out to be pacified;
And peering further yet, he next descried
Another place, too bright to be a myth—
So weighing wisely on his baby scale
Which of these two views held the better heft
(He saw the summer leaf flare red, then fail,
And must have guessed at winter’s sharp white gale)
And quite forgetting we would be bereft—
Too young to complicate an easy choice,
He simply answered endless springtime’s voice;
He raced down life’s full track in one brief burst,
And having started latest, got home first.
As an accountant, William Hoover often finds poetry in money. Finding money in poetry has proved more difficult.
Photography by Kenneth Godoy
Thank you, Wyatt, this is beautiful.
What a superb sonnet, William, with unique rhyme pattern, and such an original vision of comfort. To apply the image of a wailing baby in need of a pacifier to the earth instead is brilliant. “Quite forgetting we would be bereft” adds just the right poignant note to the sonnet’s overall innocent enthusiasm.
Wishing I could have known Wyatt too. What a lovely memorial for him.
Heartbreakingly beautiful. Beautifully heartbreaking. God comfort you all.
Wistful. We are left behind and we wish could see where they went! See the pure joy.
This is beautiful in so many ways. “Too young to complicate an easy choice” makes me want to both weep and smile. For us, eighteen years later, the grief and the peace are still measured out. God be with your family.