For the 2nd round of the poetry battle, first attempt of a petrarchan sonnet, but with Poe's cipher woven in (the hidden phrase is revealed at the end). For clarification the first rounds poem was abo...
Entry for the poetry battle, I tried making a sestina for the first time, but could only fit three stanzas and the envoy in the word limit. Hopefully a bedtime story is relevant enough for the prompt
Voluntarily at the service of acquaintances with
Only hollow compliments to slough
Half-hearted bluffs at the prospect of kith
But validation is payment enough.