Prompt: "A sonnet about a young winegrower tending to century's old vines." - Jamie Rubin
On Hallowed Ground
By Love am I saved, and by Grace redeemed
So I may afresh tread this ancient ground.
Though unclean, by the Bishop am I deemed
Worthy from the altar to hear the sound
Of the breath of God made glorious hymn
From Spirit's mouth to the whispers of the vine,
And from the windows mark the juice within
The sweetness of the fruit incarnadine.
But mark neither tongue nor heart to think -
By the sloth of too often sated mind -
That I should not thirst for that sweeter drink
Always, til Heaven gives that lasting wine,
And I am brought before the Vineyard's Lord
While the perfect vintage to me is poured
I like the rhyme scheme. It works in your favor instead of seeming like a restriction or requirement. Also, love how you've totally spun the poem away from Jim's prompt (a young winegrower tending old vines) and instead made it about a clergy vintner (if I'm not mistaken) who seeks connection with God through the production of wine. You've written a prayer. I hear it spoken in hushed, reverent tones.
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