“O, Villanelle Villanelle!” a Villanelle
/A villanelle composed as if figuratively self-aware and cognizant of its self as it gazes at its own reflection cast faithfully in a mirror.
————
O, Villanelle Villanelle! Thou that rhymes
so well with “little bell,”—whose lines amount
to nineteen, a prime that here works many times.
Thy two refrains that commit no thefts or crimes
throughout make this poem's rhymes do deeply count,
O Villanelle Villanelle,—thou that rhymes!
Rain or shine, in calm or in tempestuous climes,
thy sound swells and falls of its own account
to nineteen, a prime that here works many times.
Thy contemplative rhythm builds and climbs,
then finds climax in its final quatrain's dismount:—
O Villanelle Villanelle (thou that rhymes)!
Thy strict form is not for all paradigms:
for nothing's transacted here at discount
at nineteen, a prime that here works many times.
And when the refrains together go well sometimes,
thy whole takes on a flow that's paramount:
O, Villanelle Villanelle (thou that rhymes
to nineteen, a prime that here works many times)!
By Ngoc Nguyen
From: United States