The Corporate Sonnet Cycle

And speaking of sonnet cycles, I'm starting one. The poems will be business-oriented, centered on the divisions of labor in a corporation and their corresponding relationship to the outside world. The sonnets are in iambic pentameter, but blank verse, except for a rhyming end couplet (ABCDEFGHIJKLMM). This is the second in the series (the first is down below, posted 11/13).

We Deserve a Break Today

The marketing department is paying out
cool millions for an advertising war—
they want to woo the population so
they take the whole United Nations out
to lunch and buy them charts and in-flight views
of chicken tortellini. Toby Keith
especially likes the plastic giveaways
while Barbra Streisand worships the word of mouth.
Early adopters are their target market;
nothing bombs like launching product late.
But positioning is key. An office next
to chief executives is beneficial,
creating real distinction, peace of mind,
and liberty for we the undersigned.

An M&M sonnet: rhymes in your mouth, not in your hands.