Daniel John Pilkington


Seven Variations on Shakespeare's Sonnet 1


1.

Fairest, increase
that might
as time
might, bear
contracted eyes,
flame with
famine, abundance
too cruel—

the world's
only herald
buriest content
and makest
pity, this
world's due.



2.

To darkest creators, others, apathy contracts:
this aporia, ugliness slumps, ineptitude always lives,
unsurprisingly. Not some untimely impossibility,
                                                                            not by nothing, renewal.

Her callous predecessor wouldn’t deny her forgetfulness
as I expanded from my stolen shadows, blind.

Neglect my shadow’s chill. Without self, non-existent obstacle,
destroying the feast, Heaven needs Truth:
my other, my friend. From my bitter self, insufficiently kind,
I, this ignorance, hide. A nothingness. Decaying essence.
Or many spin-doctors? From some modest winter?

     Without my abandoned waste, uncover my disappointment
     or unfeeling humanity. Scatter creation out, generously
     punish any nothingness, any sameness that abstains; give up
     over abstaining…

                               Some chaos settled, untouched. A womb or me?



3.

Creatures we desire
that thereby never die
as should, by time decease
tender might, bear memory
contracted, to own bright eyes,
flame. With self-substantial fuel
making famine, lies,
(thy foe, thy self): too cruel.

Thou art the world's ornament.
Herald to the gaudy
within, thine own content,
churl, waste. In niggarding
the world, or else, glutton,
eat the world's due, by the grave.



4.

From
beauty's
should, by time,
might memory,
contracted, own eyes?
Light’s flame, substantial fuel,
a famine where abundance
sweet, self too, to thy self
that the world’s fresh now
herald the spring
within, thy
tender
this

thee



5.

Desire, from fairest, we creatures increase…
thereby never that, die. Beauty's might rose
as the time should, decease, riper, but by
memory. Bear his might; tender his heir:
thou, contracted (but bright, to thine own eyes)
flame. With light’s substantial self, feeds’t. Fuel thy
making. Where a famine lies abundance
cruel, thyself, too thy (foe to thy self). Sweet
now, fresh art, the ornament-world's that thou
herald to, the only, spring! Gaudy and
content, buriest thine own thy, bud within,
in tender and. Niggarding churl makest waste—
be the world/else, or pity. This glutton
to the grave, eat thee, by the world’s due and.



6.

From increase
that                      thereby


                but as
                               his heir

                but to
                               feed'st self-
                               making lies.


Thy cruel
thou.                     Now
                               and only
                               within. Bud
                               and waste…


Pity         be
                to eat



7.

desire
that
by
memory
contracted
with
a
sweet
thou
to
thy
tender
pity
by




Daniel John Pilkington is a poet from Melbourne. His poetry has appeared in Cordite and Unusual Work. He currently studies creative writing at the University of Melbourne.
 
 
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