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Autumn's General

An Ekphrastic Sonnet

By D. J. ReddallPublished 2 years ago 1 min read
"The Man with The Golden Helmet," Attributed to Rembrandt, circa 1650

All negotiations with time fail:

In youth, we cannot wait for tomorrow

In age, we flee from it to no avail

As days pass, there are fewer to borrow

From the future’s steadily shrinking trove

That same sword that served us well in past wars

Grows dull and rusty, and the proud steed that we drove

Against foes more numerous than the stars

Grows old and sickens, as its rider must

Recollections of sparkling triumphs past

Lose their luster to that clever thief: rust

Dreams of fresh campaigns rise, but do not last

For in autumn, one knows that victory

Dulls the present as it gilds history

Ekphrastic

About the Creator

D. J. Reddall

I write because my time is limited and my imagination is not.

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

Top insights

  1. Compelling and original writing

    Creative use of language & vocab

  2. Excellent storytelling

    Original narrative & well developed characters

  3. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

  1. On-point and relevant

    Writing reflected the title & theme

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Comments (4)

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  • Esala Gunathilake2 years ago

    So youngers should perform as active as possible!

  • Silver Daux2 years ago

    Haunting in its execution. Once again, you've created a poem that effortlessly creates a whole story. Great job!

  • Oooo, this was so profound! I loved it!

  • Rachel Deeming2 years ago

    Another great one, D.J.!

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