The Villanelle is a poem of nineteen lines, with five stanzas of three lines and a sixth stanza with four lines. There is a rhyme scheme of aba in each stanza, and a pattern of repetition in which the first line of the first stanza is repeated as the last line of the second and fourth stanza, and the third line of the first stanza is repeated as the last line of the third and fifth stanzas. Obviously something of the academics because most writers want to experience organic poetry things that come to you naturally, and may require an explanation.
These rules and constant repetition makes it harder to write something that is personal and real, but I wrote this in one sitting and on my first try writing a Villanelle just two days after my Uncle’s funeral. His passing was my first close experience with death, and I know the situation will continue to inspire me and push me in forms of expression.
We live to die.
My only wish is to live
contently. There will be tears and we will cry.
Lord have mercy, sigh…
I only long to give
more of me, because we all live to die.
Through all the changes I won’t ask why?
Life is the stage “performing live.”
There will be tears and we will cry.
On a rainy day one last goodbye,
we’ll grieve
for you, why do we live to die?
If I could dye
this day different colors, I’d give
tears red, we’d cry
Red tears for you
onto all black skin and clothing too.
Why must we live to die?
There’s always tears but we won’t always stop to cry.
verbatimlee 