Hiram's "Handy" Sonnet Guide

Here is how you do it. Find seven sets of rhymes based on your hands.

Two rhymes for pinks (or fingertips)

Thinks/Winks, Drinks/Stinks, Ships/Trips Flips/Dips

Two rhymes for rings (or ring-finger)

Sings/Swings Wings/Brings Linger/Anger Kings/Things

Two rhymes for middle (or center)

Little/Fiddle Mentor/Centaur Letter/Better Whittle/Riddle

Two rhymes for pointer (or index)

Banter/Ranter Next/Text Hexed/Vexed 

Two rhymes for Thumbs

Numb/Dumb Some/Come Hum/Strum From/Sum

Since we are sitting down, two rhymes for knee (or knees)

We/See Be/Flee Trees/Breeze Sneeze/Wheeze

Lastly two rhymes for eye (or eyes)

Why/Lie Try/Die Surprise/Wise  Eyes/Thighs

Okay now we start each line with the words "Iamb" (EYE-amb) except we say something different that has two beats like Iamb, first hard and then soft.

We count this word on our pinky finger and each following two beats on the rest  of our fingers going "tip-gully-tip-gully" like so:

    EYE -    amb       EYE -    amb    EYE -    amb    EYE -    amb     EYE     SHIPS

or for example

          I      roam      the     docks   and     seek     you     on    the        SHIPS

 

and then:

       A -      mid       salt-      y      mists    your     fra-    grance    LING-   ERS

 

 If you have trouble fitting in the beats, often adding  "just" or "some" or taking out or adding "a", "the" or "and" which will straighten it out. Above Salty is backwards

      A -      mid       the      salt-      y      mists    your   scent    LING-   ERS

The rhymes go:

One hand - Pinks		One hand – Mids		One hand thumbs
One hand - Rings		One hand – Index		One hand knees
One hand - Pinks		One hand – Mids		One hand thumbs
One hand - Rings		One hand – Index		One hand knees
	13th line	– Eyes	Last line	– Eyes

Follow this "rule of hand" and you will find you have made a sonnet! Lines can also go down up, just start "off" the pinky and finish "on" the thumb instead of beyond it.

Have fun!