14 by 14

[marnanel]

I have a poem in this month's 14 by 14.  I think it's among my top five favourite pieces I've ever written.

gjm11: I'm sorry I never responded to your critique; it was incisive and helpful.  Thank you!

Two things still trouble me about the poem (but read it before you read these):

• There are two conscious references to the Book of Revelation in the sestet, but I cannot remember having consciously thought about the "river of the water of life, bright as crystal" when I wrote "a spring to clean away the winter's dust"; yet it's in the next verse to one of the conscious references and I must surely have done it on purpose.  It's far too neat for an accident.
• The entire sonnet came out as a StealthPun; I thought of making it explicit and decided against it.  I would love to know whether anyone noticed.