Welcome to Villanelle Hell
In Which the Poet Laments His Struggles with the Form
I just wanted a simple villanelle
Thomas and Plath made it look so easy -
no mad descent into iambic hell.
*****
The refrains look simple, I couldn't tell
how hard the ABA rhyming would be.
I just wanted a simple villanelle.
*****
Tethered to tercets, I scratch in my cell
My disordered verses, long to break free
no mad descent into iambic hell.
*****
Lost and confused, I fell under your spell
Does line nine repeat line one? Or line three???
I just wanted a simple villanelle.
********
Rhyme-schemin' demon no edit can quell!
Damn your iambs, HAIKUS ONLY for me!
I JUST WANTED A SIMPLE VILLANELLE!
NO MAD DESCENT INTO IAMBIC HELL!
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To be clear: I love villanelles now. I wrote one for the Villanelle of Regret Challenge. It was very challenging and much harder than I thought it would be, but it was a labor of love. I thought I'd write about the challenging aspect of the form with this poem. Below is my entry into the Villanelle of Regret Challenge that inspired this poem.
About the Creator
John R. Godwin
Sifting daily through the clutter of my mind trying to create something beautiful.
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