Unrest (villanelle)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

though still, it is not tender this unrest,   

abandoned worn affection’s bitter end;

unwinding all we’ve rendered and expressed.

 

such artful contradictions seldom rest,   

when subtle painted sorrows condescend;

though still it is not tender this unrest.

 

for yesterday the flower petals pressed,

inlay my sighs and linen’s withered end;    

unwinding all we’ve rendered and expressed.

 

our deluge of discomfort effervesced,

in raging lonely ramparts I descend;  

though still it is not tender this unrest.

 

against such callow censure thoughts protest.

through words of stolen passion tides transcend,

unwinding all we’ve rendered and expressed

 

illusions vow of halcyon repressed. 

with all that I hold sacred I will wend;

though still, it is not tender this unrest,

unwinding all we’ve rendered and expressed.

 

Author's Note

the form:

The highly structured villanelle is a nineteen-line poem with two repeating rhymes and two refrains. The form is made up of five tercets followed by a quatrain. The first and third lines of the opening tercet are repeated alternately in the last lines of the succeeding stanzas; then in the final stanza, the refrain serves as the poem's two concluding lines. Using capitals for the refrains and lowercase letters for the rhymes, the form could be expressed as: A1 b A2 / a b A1 / a b A2 / a b A1 / a b A2 / a b A1 A2.

Reviews

[L]

Bloomin' marvellous. Stunning villanelle. I'm giving up. Perfect picture too. (Hey on my screen the first line is pushed out by the pic.. maybe it's a pc/macbook thing?)