Joy In Forgotten Places
after Letitia Elizabeth Landon
thou findest joy in secret spots where sunlight doth barely creep and in the silence - thou art free to revel in delight
in hidden gardens - thou dost stray where petals bloom - and wither away yet in their fleeting beauty - thou findest a peace that doth not fade
thy heart - once heavy with sorrow now doth sing with sweet - melodic cheer and in this quiet - thou art healed of all the wounds that once did bring thee fear
I took the formal and intimate diction, as well as the focus on the emotional lives of women, from Letitia Elizabeth Landon's poetry, and applied it to a less common theme for her - joy, to create a unique and recognisable poem in her lineage. I aimed to capture the sudden, piercing insights into the human heart that are characteristic of her work.