A Sonnet to Ruth and Minos Miller

                 
                     A poet’s life is plagued with anxious strife,
                     for living art’s true song too few have care;
                     and most to honest effort would give knife,
                     then give just praise to those whose art would dare.
                     To educate the world (true poet’s cause),
                     the world does most resist: for Ignorance
                     is comfort’s cloak, mediocrity’s applause,
                     the profit of pretenders, false scholar’s nonce.
                     And so, from you who love, who dare, who care,
                     and give encouragement to art’s true course,
                     whose hearts are open, whose minds are fair,
                     we poets get our prize, our strength, our force.
                       So you who honor poets, yourselves are due
                       the highest praise, for you help Art renew.

                      elm

Ruth and Minos were very encouraging to my efforts and though I did not know them long, Ruth especially urged me on and, even when ill, had me read some of my poems over the phone, especially those dealing with Oxford, Anne Vavasour, Spenser, etc. No one has yet seen them and this is the first of that "lot" that I herewith make public. For many years before I became involved in the Oxford movement, the Miller's (not related) had a play contest with a handsome prize for the annual winner. My own plays (the Lord Oxford Trilogy) are posted on website: http://www.ericmillerworks.com/