Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Vivid Memory Villanelle


Villanelle
A Villanelle is a nineteen-line poem consisting of a very specific rhyming scheme: 
aba aba aba aba aba abaa.
The first and the third lines in the first stanza are repeated in alternating order throughout the 
poem, and appear together in the last couplet (last two lines).
 
I remember awaking in the middle of the night when I was somewhat younger than 4, being scared by a nightmare.  I could not see anything and could not find the light or the door...not that it really bothered me! (Oh, my, I just read it finished now, and I'm getting misty-eyed.  Maybe it did bother me a little bit.)

It was late at night
I was still quite small
I couldn’t reach the light

I wanted to take flight
I could only feel the wall
It was late at night

My dream gave me a fright
And I tried to give a call
I couldn’t reach the light

I must have been a sight
I started to panic and bawl
It was late at night

Found the knob and held it tight
Opened the door, ran down the hall
I couldn’t reach the light

With mom and dad I squeezed in tight
I made myself into a ball
It was late at night
I couldn’t reach the light

3 comments:

  1. The rhyming is great. The idea of writing about this memory works so well with the rhythm; I think you can feel the panic as we move through the verses. It's jumpy & quick, & certainly scary.

    ReplyDelete
  2. And now, three years later, I am responding again, still enjoying the rhythm of a poem about a scared little girl. Those clipped phrases show the anxiety so well. It's been quite the years, hasn't it?

    ReplyDelete

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