the specter of my sins keeps me awake
I shut my eyes and hear the things I did
repeating – looping all today’s mistakes
the phantom of neglect my sleep forbid
the specter of my sins takes his delight
reiterating all my stupid words
I hear my voice that echo in the night
distorted into screams of evil birds
the specter of my sins enjoys the pains
he cackles when I twist and turn in plight
and push his fingers deep into my brain
until I sleepless have to face the light
the specter of my sins can never die
but during day he silently just spies

The specter by Utagawa Kunisada
Trifecta today is to use the word phantom:
3 : a representation of something abstract, ideal, or incorporeal
The sonnet I wrote is a little bit a continuation of last weekend’s trifextra
Guilt and regret, the worst.
Indeed
Powerful. A brilliant sonnet. 🙂
Thank you 🙂
An amazing sonnet, loved it word for word.
Thank you 🙂
This is fantastic. Absolutely loved it. 🙂
Many Thanks Cubby
Bjorn … that was me last night between 3:00 am and ?
“I shut my eyes and hear the things I did
repeating – looping all today’s mistakes
the phantom of neglect my sleep forbid”
Really good poem!
Oh — yes we have those nights… sometimes that’s the worst..
I’ve had these nightly replays. Your words portray them more elegantly than they really are. Nicely done!
they can be terrible
Insomnia must be my penitence for a host of sins.
or perceived sins..
Looping and repeating at night, and spying by day. Exactly right Bjorn! The specter of sin is such a curse!.
those nights… yes that’s awful
Oh, fabulous! I think I told you once how I love sonnets. This is a gorgeous one. That first stanza is something many of us can relate to, I think. A small grammar fix in this line: “until I sleepless has to face the light…” “Has” should be “have” (the verb “have” should match the subject “I”). An easy mistake to make. 🙂
Ah thank you – I have corrected the error 🙂
Fabulous writing, Bjorn. Who, among us, hasn’t lay awake, plagued by thoughts that torment us, sadden us, fill us with guilt?! Of course, I adore the audio. 🙂 what I, particularly, like in the ambiant background noise. There is a creaking throughout (a chair?) or, are you at sea in a wooden-hulled pirate ship? 🙂 Loving it, again!
Ha.. yes it’s fun to read… The creaking noise i do not know….interesting (maybe the spectre)
I liked hearing you read it.. It brought even more life to the poem.. it was dark and you could feel it more through the sound of your voice
Thank you… dark poetry is something for dark October days.
Beautiful dark reading Bjorn.
Thank you.. we have darkness here in Sweden.. so really quite natural-
Phenomenal and so true.
Thank you 🙂
What a tasty sonnet, devilish word choice and imagery. Great use of the prompt. Love the audio, too. Thanks for linking up!
Those nights can be inspiring
I marvel every week on how you can create such beautiful poems in such short bursts of time. The language and cadence in this piece is so well done. I connected with it immediately with the first stanza. I believe many of your readers will think you’ve written this specifically for them :)) Always, always well done, Björn :)))
Thank you Jo-Anne…
I think these feelings are part of being human.. after the first sentence the poem wrote itself actually… Reading it is a great way of improving the cadence.
As Jo-Anne says I’m amazed at how quickly you come up with such hauntingly beautiful poetry. And now you’re reading it as well. Wonderful!
I hate that specter. He’s always reminded me of awkward, embarrassing things when I try to sleep.
Great title – and the visual makes him look like a serious literary figure. Fine sonnet there, it really grew to the last line, taking the reader with it, for yes, it is speaking directly to us. Really sharp.
Oh yes, spending the day gathering more ammo for the night. I know him!
I’m a sucker for sonnets, Björn, and you read this one beautifully as well!
Beautiful work, as always. I enjoyed it so much I read it twice. 🙂
Every time you write,you amaze me with your word wizardry Bjorn-loved this sonnet-intense and laced with a hint of pain!Kudos my friend!
sin can be a torment, for sure…but there is an antidote, Bjorn!