Sonnet #1
Wet Irish eye beheld the light of day;
It was the year of eighteen ninety eight.
His mother showed him where the path was straight;
The father always kept a length away.
His given name of Clive did not long stay,
For he had chosen Jack to be his trait.
This title had derived from local mate,
A pet whose end came as the bumper's prey.
Though manlike creatures peaked his childish mind,
And Potter's tales of rabbits made him smile,
A tumor put his mother in the ground
The troubled boy left everything behind,
Attended Oxford for a little while,
In university the call was sound.
Sonnet #2
In university the call was sound
The war of worlds had reared its ugly head,
And Jack had joined the cause to stop the spread;
His trust in Him above was not profound.
A pact was made with Paddy in the mound
Should Paddy fall his friend would be his stead;
Provide for those he left when he was dead,
But little did he know his fate was bound.
The trenches served a distant home to Jack;
A friendly shell had cut him to the bone,
But Paddy died from such a hostile round.
He spent the rest of war while on his back;
His mind was on the Hell he had been shown,
Some faith that once was there could not be found.
Sonnet #3
Some faith that once was there could not be found.
He lay in bed without a friend in sight,
And thoughts recalled the vow he made in fight;
He wrote the mother of his chum renowned.
Depression settled in and Joy had frowned;
The former was a spirit full of spite,
Appeared to lonely souls at darkest night,
And now he rooms with Jack in the background.
He felt his father had neglected him;
He felt his Father had neglected them,
And chose to leave the path and fall astray
Just when his life began to fade and dim,
The mum of Paddy came to patch his hem,
Do men forsake their promises repay?
Sonnet #4
Do men forsake their promises repay?
Her name was firstly Jane and last was Moore,
She was that very mother passed before;
He even called her so in his essay
That former parasite began decay;
It packed its bags and headed for the door.
Despite this gift that bid Jack safe restore,
He would not see His hand in the display
The motley pari were quite the sight indeed;
Conjuecture's flames were everywhere about.
They shared a home until his hair was gray.
The time had come for Moore to follow lead;
He stood by Jane until her final shout,
O'er Oxford lie a spiritual delay.
Sonnet #5
O'er Oxford lie a spiritual delay,
The campus served a breeding ground for pride,
Where all the leading names in print reside,
He studied years to join the great array.
Within this school he learned the English way,
Collected firsts in many classes wide,
And in the words of Greats he did confide.
At times it seems the world knows less today.
The graduation day had come at last;
A student had become the teacher now.
It wasn't long til Oxford had him crowned.
He noticed something missing from his past,
It held his writing talent back somehow;
Much pain he felt with every humbling pound.
Sonnet #6
Much pain he felt with every humbling pound;
He struggled writing books at first attempt,
A block to which Jack hand't been exempt,
With time the first did come but it was downed.
The novel told of bonded spirits drowned,
Intended to be fiction was preempt,
A subtle look within the man's contempt,
The warden of his own inside compound.
The book had lacked direction and did fail,
And even then he knew he knew he knew;
He would not let it go just as a hound.
It seemed that Jack alone could not pay bail;
The Inklings helped the soul of Jack break through.
It was a friend that broke him to the ground.
(reference to the Oxford group of writers known as the Inklings. Members included Lewis and J.R Tolkien)
Sonnet #7
It was a friend that broke him to the ground,
The architect of hobbits, dwarves, and rings,
He wrote of evil orcs and righteous kings,
And now he hopes with Jack he can confound.
In Tolkien Jack had met a friend newfound,
And both did teach at Oxford for a fling;
They formed a group and each were called inkling.
On topic of divine they did expound.
The both had looked into the dark abyss,
But when the darkness met their lonesome gaze,
The only one to blink was Jack the stray.
It seemed that all of Tolkien's pleads did miss
For nothing could remove the former's haze;
No earthly mortal couldst have bid him pray.
Sonnet #8
No earthly mortal couldst have bid him pray,
Was angry towards God for not existing;
His heart was hardened by each mournful sting.
The rebel would not listen and obey.
The mind did turn to George MacDonald's splay,
A cherished author from his childhood swing.
Who ministered of Him to all offspring;
His truthful words could not be kept at bay.
He felt the fight in him begin to die,
But Jack was scared to let it go at last.
And now he felt the hate he had did flee
One night he dropped this stubborn, futile lie;
The truth he always knew was welcomed past.
The tearful sheep returned on bended knee.
Sonnet #9
The tearful sheep returned on bended knee,
Through kicks and screams the flag of white was waved,
And from his stubborn self he had been saved
At last by choosing joy he was set free.
He hung his head prepared to give a plea,
But found he was embraced by Him he waived.
Despite the many sins that Jack had braved,
His Father's hand was never stayed from he.
His heart did burn at sight of such mercy;
A new desire to share this truth did swell,
And in his books the gospel and tie-ins.
The greatest of the works were fantasy,
A children's story where the mystic dwell.
He wrote of lonely fauns and Lamb-like lions.
Sonnet #10
He wrote of lonely fauns and Lamb-like lions;
A wicked witch had slain the king of beasts.
Her forces grew as faith began to cease,
But then the king returned to bring up Zion.
The righteous hunted like the great Orion;
A pack of three had helped the very least.
When all was done the victors held a feast;
The heroes left the way they had walked in.
These tales were not the only stories told;
A Trilogy of Space was also scribed,
Remarking science as a tragic brew.
(reference to the space trilogy by Lewis)
In time his fables made the centerfold,
But joy and praise will not be brought or bribed.
Ere long the call of duty rang anew.
Sonnet #11
Ere long the call of duty rang anew,
And Lewis ferried souls away from harm.
The children born of war were shown his farm;
A second war of worlds had come past due.
The former soldier tried to join round two,
But Jack was turned away by captain's arm.
The army wanted Clive to write false charm,
But Lewis would not lie to noble few.
His part was played through waves of air and sound;
The words had brought some life to those without,
Reminding folks that God, not men, rule thee.
And now the sight of her left him spellbound;
Her very name left little room for doubt.
She was that Joy he knew he could not see.
Sonnet #12
She was that Joy he knew he could not see
They met as partners on a writing job;
She too had much the world did see to rob.
A perfect match in brains and faith's degree.
Of States United with a Jewish tree,
Her former husband left a bruise and knob.
But Clive did cause her heart to beat and throb
This life with Joy did come with hefty fee.
United Kingdom would not let her stay,
So Jack did marry Joy to keep her there.
In Joy a cancer cell had grown within.
The couple took a trip one summer's day.
Where Joy did die with Jack nor far elsewhere.
On morn he would be one with dandelion.
Sonnet#13
On morn he would be one with dandelion,
Succumbed to sicknesses of flesh and blood,
And brother buried brother's bones in mud.
The earth had mourned as spirit started flyin'.
His body weak but soul was Savior's scion,
But Clive was not the only one to thud.
The thirty-five had died in spotlight's flood,
And Lewis fell unseen from global eyein'.
(35th was John F. Kennedy, who died the same day as Lewis)
The man may pass but words remain with us,
No one is ever really gone for good;
His life had served a lesson to the blue.
He spoke the truth in every thee and thus,
And now he stands in time where few have stood.
No longer need he dream of Heaven's view.
Sonnet #14
No longer need he dream of Heaven's view.
The ones he lost in life were found once more.
He saw the brother that had died in war,
And took the hand of Joy in golden hue.
The clay was washed from Lewis' eyes like dew, (ref to the miracle of Jesus healing the blind)
And he who once was blind could now see score.
His gaze did lift to meet the one who bore;
The stillest voice had called him by his who.
The voice was His who carried cross on back,
And he did comfort Clive through hugs and tears.
The race was o'er and Jack was home to stay.
He had not finished first or stayed on track,
But Jack did rise each time he fell to fears
Wet Irish eye beheld the light of day.
Sonnet #15
Wet Irish eye beheld the light of day,
In University the call was sound;
Some faith that once was there could not be found,
Do men forsake their promises repay?
O'er Oxford lie in a spiritual delay,
Much pain he felt with every humbling pound;
It was a friend that broke him to the ground,
No earthly mortal couldst have bid him pray.
The tearful sheep returned on bended knee;
He wrote of lonely fauns and Lamb-like lions,
Ere long the call of duty rang anew.
She was the Joy he knew he could not see;
On morn he would be one with dandelions,
No longer need he dream of Heaven's view.
I am just amazed that he had to write the last one first and in the same rhyming scheme and then use those lines to write the others and have it all make sense and flow!
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