A sonnet is a piece of poetry with exactly 14 lines and 10 syllables in each line. There are also 5 iambs per line, but the use of iambic pentameters are a bit more advanced. There are three verses, and in each verse, there are four lines. Every other line in a verse has to rhyme (ABAB format), and at the end of the poem, an indented couplet is inserted. An example of a sonnet is Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare, more commonly known as "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" Here's a short, love-based sonnet that I wrote for my English Honors class assignment.
Words are portrayed as they are powerless;
Like dust or dirt on the smallest of birds.
Desire or want has not been my prowess,
But dear, you know I’ve had a way with words.
The harsh, cruel winds, to blow, may never cease,
Thick clouds may forevermore block the sun.
Booming thunder may never be at ease,
Rough rains won’t refrain from my beloved one.
So allow me, dearest, to hide your heart
For all words may be powerless indeed.
But the warmth of your smile, that work of art
In this life, is all I will ever need.
So, beloved dear, this is hardly the end;
For in time, Death shall unite us again.
