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