I.
The folk are swept into the dance
Once the music stats to flow
He hopes he hasn't missed his chance
Across the ballroom they now advance
Dressed in silks and happy glows
The folk are swept into the dance
What once began with subtle glance
A slender hope begun to grow
He hopes he hasn't missed his chance
Swirled across this great expanse
Driven by the fiddler's bow
The folk are swept into the dance
She slips from him, her eyes askance
Caught in rhythmic to-and-fro
He hopes he hasn't missed his chance
One last heartbeat of romance
Before the music starts to slow
He hopes he hasn't missed his chance
The folk are swept into the dance
II.
A villanelle, also known as villanesque, is a nineteen-line poetic form consisting of five tercets followed by a quatrain. There are two refrains and two repeating rhymes, with the first and third lines of the first tercet repeated alternately at the end of each subsequent stanza until the last stanza, which includes both repeated lines. The villanelle is an example of a fixed verse form. The word derives from Latin, then Italian, and is related to the initial subject of the form being the pastoral. (Wikipedia)
III.
When Substack Reads had a post with the headline “Resurrecting Villanelle” last week, I was excited! My very small pot of poems happens to include a villanelle which I like quite a bit and, given my new commitment to sharing my creative work here, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to hop on a trend right at the start.
Alas, it seems my excitement was misplaced: Substack was only announcing the newest celebrity writer on the platform, and “Villanelle” was a reference to a popular character from his show “Killing Eve.” I’ve not watched this show, so I don’t have much to say about it — however it’s still a good excuse to share this particular poem.
I like writing structured poetry. A defined form, no matter how arbitrary, forces my words to work harder. Constrained by rhyme and meter and line length, I have to think harder about how I can say what it is I want to say, and the choices I make evolve my work in unexpected ways. It teaches me how to weave metaphors more effectively, and layer imagery with sensory detail and evocative language in the bare minimum of space — skills that I can carry into my prose to make it more beautiful and impactful.
IV.
This history of this poem begins with an online roleplaying game; my character (a man) was involved in an often-fraught romance, and he was hoping for a chance to renew the connection with his beloved at an upcoming ball. When I read this, I’m struck with nostalgia for all the fun my friend and I had telling stories with those characters — who had a happy ending — and a little bit of embarrassment about how much time we spent playing.
It was also a time when I was mired in profound creative depression. The poems I wrote as that character were the only writing I was doing at all (outside my terrible day job (not the job I have now)), and my dreams of someday publishing a novel seemed to be swirling away from me, as if I was the wallflower, watching everyone else caught up in the dance while I sat alone. I knew all the steps, I loved the music — I had just lost the rhythm and couldn’t seem to find it again. I came very close to leaving the ball entirely.
That yearning on the edge of despair — have I lost my chance? — I knew it all too well.
Fortunately, the answer is no. As long as the music is playing, there is always another chance.
Read more about my experience with creative depression and writers block.
More fun to read: some music lessons for writers.
I’m open for editing clients! Read why you might want to hire a developmental editor for your fantasy novel.
This was interesting, Stace, and so moving. There are so many things I want to say- I don’t know much about structure in poetry because my words dry up when I think of structures and words. I admire the structure in your poem, and the words.
I resonate with wallflowers- I’m a huge fan of Regency romances - and I agree, the dance goes on. Hope you will share more of your poetry!