joy sonnet in a random universe

Joy Sonnet in a Random Universe
by Helen Chasin (p1035)

Sometimes I'm happy: la la la la la la la
la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la
la la la la. Tum tum ti tum. La la la la la
la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la.
Hey nonny nonny. La la la la la la la la
la la la la la la la la la la la. Vo do di o do.
Poo poo pi doo. la la la la la la la la la la
la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la
la la. Whack a do. La la la la la la la la. Sh-
boom, sh-boom. La la la la la la la la la la
la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la
la la. Dum di dum. La la la la la la la la.
la la la la la la la la. Tra la la. Tra la la
la la la la la la la la la la. Yeah yeah yeah.

This poem immediately caught my attention and I couldn’t help but write about it. Chasin definitely conveys to the reader her joy, excitement, and spontaneity through her poem. Her lines are just a random assortment of sounds that somehow fill 14 lines. However, I would not consider her poem to be a sonnet. Though it is by far the one of the most abstract sonnets or even poems, the only sonnet guideline it follows are the 14 lines. There is no clear rhyme scheme since most of the lines end with “la” and also no apparent flow or rhythm. The only other aspect this poem qualifies as a sonnet is the title, “Joy Sonnet in a Random Universe”. Though not a “sonnet”, this poem is nonetheless expresses “joy” and is in its own “random universe”.