Villanelle: Wednesday Walk VII

Alone again, with Spring, gliding sleepless--
drifting past the niar* and morning flowers 
under fluffy blue clouds, light rain. Sun rests 

in comfort, like turtles in their shells--
I wander and caress the colorful flowers, 
alone again, with Spring, gliding sleepless 

I catch crickets chirping and skipping, success-
fully surviving—the hard-cold winters 
under fluffy blue clouds, light rain. Sun rests 

but the dawn birds won’t let it rest, 
they call it out--with prowess and powers 
alone again, with Spring, gliding sleepless-- 

a tailor with sewing machine, all dressed, 
sitting on his chair, beside yellow wallflowers 
under fluffy blue clouds, light rain. Sun rests. 

I feel blessed as I return to my nest, 
scent of berries, rain and faint memories 
alone again, with Spring, gliding sleepless 
under fluffy blue clouds, light rain. Sun rests. 

© M. Jay Dixit, September heart-to-hearts, 2023 All Rights Reserved

This is my seventh villanelle in this series, to read the others please browse through my old posts using the tag: #villanelles and I’ve also created a separate category for them on my website, you may click here to read them all.

I fell in love with this form when I read “Mad Girl’s Love Song” by Sylvia Plath and “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas.

So, now I write a villanelle every Thursday about my Wednesday Walks.

*niar is a Hindi word which translates to ‘brook’ in English. I used it because I love that word and also ‘cuz if we write the word ‘rain’ backwards, we get ‘niar’!

ps: the featured images are clicked by me, one today and the sunshine one I clicked on the day of Holi.

What is a Villanelle?

A villanelle is a poem of nineteen lines, and which follows a strict form that consists of five tercets (three-line stanzas) followed by one quatrain (four-line stanza). Villanelles use a specific rhyme scheme of ABA for their tercets, and ABAA for the quatrain. The first and third lines of the first tercet function as repeating refrains, which alternate as the final line of each subsequent tercet and appear again as the two final lines of the concluding quatrain. Although villanelles often do use meter, they don’t have to use any one type of meter in particular.

Shoutout to:

I’ve decided to read this poem in a gathering of great poets from all over the world: dverse poets pub’s Open Link Night LIVE Come join us, recite your own poem or just listen if you want to, we’re a friendly bunch.

Time: Saturday, March 18 from 10 to 11 AM, EST.

Place: https://meet.google.com/oha-bvpf-xep?authuser=0&hs=122

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