This one left mixed impressions for me. I like the theme, and the list approach, and some of the dark details work really well (“ditch-digger’s drops of sweat”). But some details seem over the top to me (snails AND butchered peasants in one image?), and L4 doesn’t seem to fit (too broad, and more editorial than the rest). I thought the final couplet could be punchier, and in L13, don’t we usually “marvel AT” something, rather than “marvel” something?
A skillful sonnet that still needs some tweaking?
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