Latest works, 2026 ~ Rough Places Plain, Sonnets and other closed forms, Poetry list
The struggle ~ a sonnet of shared pain
We breathe – we live but nothing’s simply true –
We’re open, subject, to a path uphill
So daily struggles mark our steps and slew
The course and goal we hope we can fulfil.
All life’s a struggle – nothing ends till death
Snuffs out the powers and strengths we vainly boast
When taking all for granted in each breath
And fail to see who truly matters most.
This struggle is a blessing in disguise
To free us from ourselves when lost in self.
We falter, fail to find the greater prize
Of joy and peace, love’s gift in common wealth.
The struggle’s never mine alone but shared
By He who suffers with us, Love’s face bared.
(written in Pizza Express before Verdi’s Macbeth from the Met, NY)
© Neil Thompson 2026