« Previous Next »

An Enigma

by Chad Trevitte

For my wife, 2/14/2011

“Among the worst of shallow sonneteers,”
Claimed Solomon Don Dunce, “are those who knit
Their ladies’ names in cross-stitched souvenirs
To express their love in false acrostic wit.”
Soon afterwards, a manuscript arrived
For Dunce to analyze. Scanning each line,
He found no woman’s name — so well-contrived
Was Edgar’s enigmatic valentine.
Although a Google search will yield the key
For any seekers of that secret spell,
Let this ingenious poète maudit
Design another shrine where love may dwell:
So by such artifice your name shall be
Entombed secure in my cryptography.


Chad Trevitte lives in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and he teaches composition, American literature, and film history courses at Bridgewater College. His poems have also appeared in Lucid Rhythms, and in 2010 he was a finalist for the New England Shakespeare Festival Sonnet Award. He is currently working on a series of film-inspired sonnets.

Pat Jones
Published 30 May 2011