01/16/2026 Poetry Night: Annus Poëticus cum Michaele et Craigo (Pompous Multum) -A Friendly Duel in Forms

A year-long poetic duel between friends M Ennenbach & Craig Brownlie. Week 1 from Ennenbach: Sonnet by m ennenbach

a nihilist’s sonnet by m ennenbach

to snatch whimsy from the jaws of defeat-
in absurd turmoil, whispered lies berate,
what bloody digits scrabble to curate,
the howling winds of time slowly delete:

the folly of hope lays in swift retreat-
as mortals decry the ill whims of fate,
with only poisoned pens which to create,
in echoed verses destined to repeat. 

oh silence! swallow up this daily hymn,
in the sun's fury, the harvest wilted,
the beauty of the world long gone faded.
the sky is cloudy, and the light gone dim,
of sorrow lapsed as the axis tilted,
amid lonesome cries and the once elated. 

a nihilist's sonnet. m ennenbach.

*lack of capitalization is author’s personal preference.