Prompt: write an “American sonnet” (14 lines, no other rules)
The Hard-Knock Life
Have you ever wondered why it’s called “the hard-knock life”?
Because sometimes the hard life knocks you down
Sometimes the hard knock comes at your door
Waking you up, warning you of fire, of smoke
Sometimes the knock comes softly, unwilling
To deliver the hard news you didn’t want to hear
Sometimes the “hard” is the knocker itself
Aged iron, shaped by strong, careful hands
Sometimes the “hard” is the knocking
when your hands are already scraped raw
Sometimes the hard life invites you to knock
out the ones who stand in your way
Sometimes the hard life invites you to knock
and let others invite you inside