War Cry Sonnet

The rumbling of the basses shatters dreams,

High tenor pitches tremble in the rain,

Harmonics of the tense soprano screams,

The daunting altos intone chill refrain.

The war cry rhythm carried on the drums,

Their blatting trumpets rattle in my ear,

And each chord that my adversary strums

Strikes minor keys that resonate with fear.

But if you sing to wake me in the morn,

And if your music soothes me in the night,

I'll shed this sinner's skin and rise reborn

To take up cross and join you in the fight.

My lips will part with Hallelujah thanks,

And side by side we'll break the rival ranks.

Ricky May

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Editor’s Note: Ricky May, son of Felicia (Duran) and Ric May, has been awarded the prestigious Editor’s Choice Award presented by the International Library of Poetry. Ricky is a freshman at Bowling Green State University and is majoring in English. He is 19 years old and was born and raised in Toledo.

Ricky wrote the above sonnet in response to an assignment in his senior English class taught by one of his favorite teachers, Mr. Chris Blakely. The poem is dedicated to God, with Ricky saying, "I didn't know what to do for the assignment, so I prayed to God and just asked that He help me out so that I could do something sweet for Him. And He answered!"

He would like to thank God and everyone at La Prensa and the International Library of Poetry for recognizing him and supporting him.