A minimal sonnet, or minison, is a very small poetic form with only one rule (and "rule" here, as with any poetic form, does its best work in scare quotes): make a poem with only fourteen letters total. The first example I remember noticing was « tell you a secret » (4 + 3 + 1 + 6 = 14). Once the constraint was in place, though, we began to see these little poems popping up everywhere: in our own poems, in other texts we were reading, and even out in the world (e.g. on the side of a WESTERN EXPRESS eighteen-wheeler). This small constraint is far from being totally original—the sonnet is of course a venerable form in English, and there is precedent for this kind of idea somewhere in Seymour Mayne's fifteen-word sonnets and in the work of Noelle Kocot, who is a major inspiration for the two people writing this intro—but we had a lot of fun putting together a micro-chapbook using this constraint, and as we shared it with other poets we were struck by how inventive they were able to be in such a small space (cf. Michael O'Brien's collection of minison, also freely available). We've even gotten to see the form blossom into new, related forms, as in this crown of minimal sonnets (a minison coronet?) by Kevin Bertolero:
gabriel was here
here in my winter
winter & passing
passion through
rougher the days
days w/ early sun
sun that tires me
meaning i've got
gotten so eager &
meager noontide
tide at the shore
more lines drawn
& drawing me to my
my sweet gabriel
It has been a wonderful privilege to get to see what the poets whose minison are collected below below have done with this tiny little wispy idea of a form, and we're excited to share their work with you in this space. All our thanks to the contributing poets, to the incomparable Giacomo Pope for coding & hosting this at Neutral Spaces, and to you for reading these lovely small poems. If you write some minison (or even coronets!) of your own, please do let us know!
thicc lunchable
kristi snarsky
literal letters
phaentompoet
a forgotten pill
Kristin Garth
Rain for Decades
Amy Suzanne
Furious as a moon.
Linda M. Crate
o the cry violets
sara matson
can't you Believe?
Dan Voss
illuminate ants
Angelo Maneage
Her soul unhomed
unhinged
I want more books
Tyler Pufpaff
hand soft a conch
emilie kneifel
mutter daffodil
emilie kneifel
Your Own Project
kwooley
show my true self
Sarah Spector
lies in garlands
Kaleb Tutt
forever and ever
Kellie Stilson
Zoom call; crying
Jamie Gay Melton
needles in fruit
Daniel Calderwood
APOCALYPTICISM
Tom Hack
BLACK-HEARTEDLY
Tom Hack
LIKE BLACKBERRY
Tom Hack
TRANSFIGURES ME
Tom Hack
iȝoked by þe dawn
tamsin blaxter
not mourning you
Sophie Furlong Tighe
Neverending now
Javier Topete
Wet pelican feet
Jovel Queirolo
funniest injury
Liam Bates
infinite scrawl
Tucker Lieberman
Press into me now
MICHAEL CHANG
heir to blame her
Katherine Osborne
laughter so loud
Victoria G.
short breathy hi
crow j norlander
minefields of us
crow j norlander
girl loves trees
Theri K.
shrieking today
vb
miasmic fontana
momo
b womanchildish
Kristin Garth
last of you snows
Katherine Osborne
Ariadne’s Lament
Sarah Alice
An off world hope
Katherine Osborne
Read. Aim. Fireeee!
Dan Voss
like her glimmer
Dan Voss
That eye blinked...
Dan Voss
last ice blossom
Judit Hollos
of lunar caustic
Anonymous
An ocean. The body.
Caleb Jordan
resplendent "and"
Meagan Patrick
it hurts when you
Eidola
hail our mistaks
Dan Voss
Dry ice burns you
Laurel Shimasaki
Closer, snowfall
D.M. Cross
my ideas drift up
A. E. Weisgerber
hap in stance is:
K Weber
night side of fun
Trevor Abes
💀yo!💀we💀all💀die,💀dude!💀
zac smith
nonstop farting
zac smith
FOREVER CUMMING
Cameron Maughan
i am giacomo pope
zac smith
hesitant tulips
cassandra
graves rip tides
Mike Andrelczyk
bossa nova night
Laura O'Brien
ash path old skin
Jason Freston
dry ice and limes
Glenn Danzig
daylily dailily
Anonymous
moonlit morning
Chase Vaughn.
we bite into a day
Terrence Abrahams
seltzer bubbles
Ponders
omen: june or july
John Leo
Always, I’ll doubt.
Mel
a bee sting sings
C. T. Salazar
hum home how come
C. T. Salazar
languaguage not
C. T. Salazar
like a heavy bone
C. T. Salazar
o dusk-light kiss
Julian Day
choir of firemen
Benjamin Niespodziany
midsombersault
Benjamin Niespodziany
velvet trombone
Benjamin Niespodziany
your penny-smell
Alrisha Shea
reaching into me.
Linda M. Crate
the moon kisses me.
Linda M. Crate
elks listen slow
Kyla Houbolt
money is crisper
Kyla Houbolt
find a blue salad
Kyla Houbolt
sparkle like dew.
Linda M. Crate
a kiss the elixir
K Weber
love’s deathgrip
K Weber
keep this simple
Amanda Glassman
owl hour of night
Jessie Lynn McMains
on ghost fingers
Will Davis
a poignant hello
Vin Tanner (@hologramvin)
the ants have her
Michael O'Brien
insurmountable
Warren Dean Fulton
of my reflection
Warren Dean Fulton
not even my tears
Jim Young
Cue to chocolate
Stefan A.
Oh, "it is what it is"
Warren Dean Fulton
a minimal sonnet
Franco Cortese
fourteen glyphs
Franco Cortese
fourteen spaces
Franco Cortese
one and then four
Franco Cortese
a perfect sonnet
Franco Cortese
a seven times two
Franco Cortese
Marine layer sky
resa
Moses’s big beard
N/A
macbook of Venus
lauren matthews
Kayaked St. Regis
Kevin Bertolero
lemons at the bay
Kevin Bertolero
my new dream song
Kevin Bertolero
whereas I’m happy
Kevin Bertolero
write a love poem
Kevin Bertolero
specific injury
none
Fly Hummingbird
resa
boysenberry pie
hannah lamb-vines
a bond an abandon
cam macdonald
distant measure
cam macdonald
quiet’s corduroy
cam macdonald
a wake from again
cam macdonald
plum age plumage
cam macdonald
a sum x sometimes
cam macdonald
extract x amount
cam macdonald
far word forward
cam macdonald
soon sky soldier
cam macdonald
his whistle welt
cam macdonald
still and always
cam macdonald
moonless idling
cam macdonald
pothos red arose
cam macdonald
no electric city
cam macdonald
gardenia freeze
cam macdonald
in to another out
cam macdonald
a voluptuary's oh
Amanda Earl
reverse immerse
Amanda Earl
rest now rest now
Amanda Earl
gargle with salt
Amanda Earl
oh orgasms oh yes
Amanda Earl
dream and be zany
Amanda Earl
warning flowers
Amanda Earl
now pigeon noise
Amanda Earl
flower workings
Amanda Earl
flow follows slow
Amanda Earl
Dear Kes: blinked
Kestrel
Tummy time crave
Pamchale
ash path old skin
Jason Freston
large iced latte
kristi snarsky
feather boa lore
Trevor Abes
can i contribute
liam bates
breakfast again
liam bates
r a v e n n i g h t r o s e
Réka Nyitrai
out of martyrdom
Abby Nocon
an eve’s long past
Sarah O’Brien
l u n a r m o t h f e n c e
Réka Nyitrai
lunar eclipse me
Réka Nyitrai
shovel chivalry
K Weber
Tear the spacing
Cigdem Talu
Cherries blossom
Rebecca Sheridan
Early mourning
Rebecca Sheridan
intraoral lmfao
fan wu
too late >> for fear
Colin Russell
wet fingers dirt
nina jane drystek
how to start over
Colin Russell
not bullets, mine
J.C. Rodriguez
no boats anymore
Julian Day
in our last spasm
crow j norlander
Shake spear sigh
Aileen
Hence the custom
Brit Weisman
i drive up the one
hannah lamb-vines
a cardinal drool
Tucker Leighty-Phillips
go back to big sur
hannah lamb-vines
my babies asleep
Rae Lemke Sprung
waterfall swear
hannah lamb-vines
t w t f s s ANXIETY m
H. E. Casson
The blue of the AM
Alexis Kopkowski
tarot cartridge
Jeremiah Thomas
Your voice heals
Pen Guin
melting candles
Pen Guin
heart hardened
Adrian Belmes
cobalt sea glass
melissa ashley hernandez
popcorn karaoke
melissa ashley hernandez
Misty birds sing.
Stephen Roche
Wind dawned on us
Stephen Roche
a promised beast
Rasiqra Revulva
owl unfeathered
John Leo
p.s. it’s in the wall
Donald Mangino
imortalography
Gregory Betts
artogetherealm
Gregory Betts
irritable vowel
Gregory Betts
ozone and indigo
John Leo
i, acred in hatred
IAN MARTIN
death is death is
sam cha
come back ghosts
sam cha
are we there yet?
sam cha
go lightly, winds
jack bachmann
light refracted
jack bachmann
space to breathe
jack bachmann
fluttering song
jack bachmann
teacups cooling
jack bachmann
the way we tasted
Taylor Brunson
grass, if no roses
sarah j. sloat
oh shape of a lake
sarah j. sloat
a grape, a pendant
sarah j. sloat
rain rubs a spoon
sarah j. sloat
hello i am dave :)
DAVE
Riptide. Silence.
Heretic Eel Nine
no lack / of zest
Rebecca Titus
bublets of ochre
Maggie Slaughter
sour hones sweet
Laura Lamont
a e l q y t z s e s e u l c
jack bachmann
let gold distract
paisley conrad
fog on mt le conte
Amanda Glassman
thistledown bed
Amanda Glassman
home cooked meal
Amanda Glassman
racecar boob yay
Izzie Smith
chaos marmalade
Dani Relbyn
buttercup knife
Dani Relbyn
your sky darkens
Dani Relbyn
devonian dreams
Dani Relbyn
always the blame
Dani Relbyn
the truth is blue
Dani Relbyn
they are my fires
Dani Relbyn
in the sea we glow
Dani Relbyn
a ghost boy and me
Dani Relbyn
she wept for a fox
Dani Relbyn
hold them with me
Dani Relbyn
the one with hope
Dani Relbyn
dani in the cloak
Dani Relbyn
for those fallen
Dani Relbyn
a wheat field air
Dani Relbyn
coin rocket fire
Dani Relbyn
minison persona
Dani Relbyn
an aura of sorrow
Dani Relbyn
electric sevens
Dani Relbyn
oh the sylvaires
Dani Relbyn
an arc of maudlin
Dani Relbyn
era of renegades
Dani Relbyn
house-/ plant/ dies
anuja ghimire
masks/ suspended
anuja ghimire
crown/ in breaths
anuja ghimire
fourteen letter
Stuart Buck
Do it for you only
LimonYPicante
(shelter) from you
serena watanabe
but, colonoscopy
serena watanabe
tongue tip words
serena watanabe
smile under mask
serena watanabe
breeze is breath.
serena watanabe
bring back tacos!
serena watanabe
insomnia for two
serena watanabe
ô, my alive old one
Gabrielle Lalonde
Wielding a light.
Sam Yule
how 2 corpz mouth
leia penina wilson
muzzled! do u! feel!
leia penina wilson
throw! me! n2! ur! luv!
leia penina wilson
y else wud i want u
leia penina wilson
against feeling
leia penina wilson
did u/ the filth// r u
leia penina wilson
that red fortune/
leia penina wilson
that sacral cunt/
leia penina wilson
bad angel! ease me!
leia penina wilson
achilles! is it so!
leia penina wilson
A blood black sky.
Lisa Ciccarello
Public grieving.
Lisa Ciccarello
how aren't things
Colin Russell
paleontologist
Colin Russell
toy car accident
ben gallagher
in a small window
ben gallagher
popsicle, melted
ben gallagher
I said never mind
Taylor Zartman
waterfall swear
hannah lamb-vines
yesterday spilt
Taylor Zartman
Only dim notions
Lauren
Canned tomatoes
Jill Bergantz
Urgency and need
Jill Bergantz
Her tinned there
Jill Bergantz
like the dewfall
Tom Snarsky
tree thinks rain
Gary Barwin
era erasing sing
Gary Barwin
blue threw green
Gary Barwin
sleep peels eels
Gary Barwin
um shh ah ohh pfft
Gary Barwin
an ersatz school
Jo Ianni
perishes desire
Jo Ianni
this sweet light
Jo Ianni
simple decision
Jo Ianni
to know from Adam
Jo Ianni
about aboutness
Jo Ianni
wanna have pizza
Jo Ianni
misty moon music
Jo Ianni
new moon variety
Jo Ianni
a sunny’d puddle
Jo Ianni
Hope you’re well
Jo Ianni
bow to the absurd
Jo Ianni
between whisper
Jo Ianni
light’s lily life
Jo Ianni
mother’s mothers
Jo Ianni
ladybug at lunch
Jo Ianni
flowers passing
Jo Ianni
minison coronet
anon
thx fr yr poems :)
tom & jo
impossible tree
Tom Snarsky
i <3 john ashbery
anon
smallerer haiku
anon
g14c'5 l33t h4x0r
anon
The minison above were collected over a fourteen-day period after the release of minimal sonnets from Ghost City Press.