There are many ways to express ones ideas, from short stories, to lyrical poems, to sonnets. However, in comparing lyrical poems and sonnets, there are many key differences.
In a lyrical poem, the author expresses emotions and feelings in a certain subject, for example:
" Love has no bounds, no limit.
Love is selfless, endless, surpassing other feeling,
Love continues throughout the generation,
Love is cherishing, a good memory.
Love is without boundaries,
Love comes with a heartbeat, but stays for a life time"
In the poem created above, I expressed a feeling, essentially how love feels like, and what love can do. When reading it, it can garnish emotions from the reader, and help them understand what I am thinking of during the time.
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A sonnet is different however. It has 14 lines, and ~ 10 syllables per line. A sonnet also has to rhyme in a certain form. It can be seen as a song, and, if written well, can actually be sung. For example, " Sonnet 18, by Shakespeare". In it, we can see the rhyme form "ABAB CDCD EFEF GG", in which each letter shows what rhymes with each other. Another example can be:
"My friend, you inspire me to write,
about poems, about life,
about thinking what is wrong from right,
always thinking of the best action in life.
Shall I think of life as simple as thoughts?
Life is complex and harrowing.
Shall I believe that life is complicated?
Life is but simple and undemanding.
How does life work? Let me think,
Is it for us to do good all our days?
Or promote our own welfare, stepping others down?
Is life easy all the days long?
Life is an experience, a memory,
a story in history, a drop in the pool of memory."
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The choice of form can vary depending on the poet's mastery in each type, as well as how the poem may fit in. For example, as one who writes poems for only points (cough*), i generally write lyrical and free-verse, and veer from the harder ones, such as the Shakespearean sonnets. However, it depends on what is needed, which form can help express it adequately, and how well one can use each form.
hope this helps
