When Darkness Falls
Villanelle Challenge Entry
When darkness falls and your sins you recall
the paralysis can leave you feeling captive
and it's hard to find joy in anything at all
*
You can fight it, hold it off and make it stall
Until you have nothing left really to give
when darkness falls and your sins you recall
*
The dead of the night, can make you feel small
When you can't see tomorrow, death's attractive
and it's hard to find joy in anything at all
*
The voices in your head celebrate your fall
The worthiness of your life feels subjective
when darkness falls and your sins you recall
*
Even when morning comes at the dawn chorus call
Your past mistakes can feel too hard to forgive
and it's hard to find joy in anything at all
*
You need to make a choice, to stand up tall
Face the day and decide you are going to live
When darkness falls and your sins you recall
and it's hard to find joy in anything at all
*
Thanks for reading!
Author's Notes: First attempt at a Villanelle ever. I am not the biggest fan of strict rules, as you probably know, when it comes to writing and poetry. Unless they are rules I have invented, haha! Anyway...this was trickier than I thought it might be.
Still not sure about it. But...it's not my last attempt at a Villanelle either.
About the Creator
Paul Stewart
Scottish-Italian poet/writer from Glasgow.
Overflowing in English language torture and word abuse.
"Every man has a sane spot somewhere" R.L Stevenson
The Accidental Poet - Poetry Collection is now available!
https://paulspoeticprints.etsy.com
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More stories from Paul Stewart and writers in Poets and other communities.
Delicious Nightmares
There is nothing novel in the observation that a good cinema experience is akin to a waking dream. We sit in darkness and become enveloped in a world of images that we piece together to form a narrative. Sometimes the images overpower us and we struggle with the paralysis of a nightmare. And then the lights come back up and we take a breath to remember it was not real, we were not in that car crash, we were not in a fight, we were not a lover being romanced. And we need a moment between the last credit and the real world to gather our thoughts to find meaning in what we have seen.
By Rachel Robbins2 days ago in Writers
Comments (9)
Peas in a pod, the two of us.
Excellent entry!! You managed to make it seem effortless despite the restrictions. ‘When you can't see tomorrow, death's attractive’ was especially evocative. As always, well done!!
This one (the first one) honestly reads much better than the jokey hell one! I still don’t really know the structure but I’m slowly cottoning on. Excellent theme, message, pace and rhythm! ☺️👏
I did miss this (family trip into London yesterday...it was...a lot. I took two neurodivergent kids to the busiest part of the busiest town on the busiest day. We survived. Just.) This felt SO hopeless and I was waiting for the glimmer of hope, and I was about to give up, and there it was, like your signature. Things can be awful (but they might not be forever).
"When you can't see tomorrow, death's attractive". This was my favouriteeee line. It was so deep! This was a fantastic first attempt at a Villanelle. It's a form that I'm so terrified to try. Mike makes it look so easy! Looking forward to reading more of your Villanelles! 🍩🥐
Reminds me of a great song I heard.
That was really good. And I agree, These really are a pain in the arse. I'm kinda enjoying the challenge though.
I also did my first villanelle. You did a nice job!
A M A Z I N G!!! Absolutely stellar job with this, pal! But I hope you aren’t experiencing too much of the nighttime wakings/beating yourself up. 💞 I do not like poetry rules either, so this challenge is really throwing me for a loop.