More about Poetry - Day 24

Dylan Thomas

I am a little concerned that an overabundance of poetry on this blog will run off the 8 people that actually read it. I am aware that poetry isn't everybody's thing. Heck, I am not a big reader of poetry. I love writing it, though. I love getting the words to flow.

Of course, that didn't happen so well with the last poem. Trying new styles forces me to fit things in different structures and rhythms. I am not always good at that. It is fun to try however. It's sort of like handing a portrait painter a box of crayons and asking for the Mona Lisa. You might not get a masterpiece, but I guarantee the results will be interesting.

If you are still with me at this point, the next style up is:

The Villanelle

• 19 lines

• 5 stanzas of 3 lines each

• 1 closing stanza of 4 lines

• Rhyme scheme: ABA, ABA, ABA, ABA, ABA, ABAA

• Line 1 repeats in lines 6, 12, and 18

• Line 3 repeats in lines 9, 15, and 19

It is helpful to remember that my poems are not always my opinion. Sometimes they are just considering a point of view. This one, for example, started with a random line that popped into my head. I then chased the thought from there. To be honest, it turned out awfully grim. Come back tomorrow and see what I mean.

P.S. (Dylan Thomas wrote the famous poem "Do not go gentle into that good night". It was a Villanelle)