Flash Stories & Poetry Day 43: Villanelle "Put Up or Shut Up"

 

Hey, everyone.

Ugh... Again, I'm doing a daily writing exercise a day late. Well, a few hours.

Wheel of Genres, turn, turn, turn! Tell me the genre I will discern!





Today's style is... Villanelle.

So, like I said, I prepare these in advance, and I did have a topic in mind for today, and I think it would've made a great poem. I was going to talk about the tortures of my soul, but I hate looking like a poser, and some days, even I don't put up with my sh*t. Speaking of, I just spent about an hour on Pinterest, and there's a problem with Pinterest: see, if you click on a pin under a subject such as politics, regardless of whether you agree with the pin or not, you're likely to get more those same kind of political pins. And I, tried being a wise ass and defend my political beliefs, but Pinterest's recommendation programming has backfired on me and now half of what I see if crap from the other side.

As distressing as that is, the main problem is that I'm so, so, so tired of hearing people complain. I finally commented on one pin, "You're going to blame one man for all of America's problems? If these causes are so important to you, you be the change you think it needs." And since I'm still hopped up on all these assh*les complaints, guess what I'm going to write about? Don't worry; it won't be (directly) political. So, let's see if I can write a villanelle telling people to either put up or shut up.

Thirty minutes on the clock: 30:00. And... go.

If thou want to work thy will, work it now.
Worldly problems shall come, and shan't avaunt.
The world shan't worsen less thou allow.

To what powers and men doth thou endow
That causeth thee to become weak and gaunt?
If thou want to work thy will, work it now.

Thine own dire problems thou can't disavow,
Will thee permit others' problems to haunt?
The world shan't worsen less thou allow.

Do not forswear exacting work, and plow
The fields of change with everything you want.
If thou want to work thy will, work it now.

Do not surrender to others and bow,
Giving unto those who excel at vaunts.
The world shan't worsen less thou allow.

To thine own mind and wonders shalt thou vow,
In thy beliefs, don't let naysayers daunt.
If thou want to work thy will, work it now.
The world shan't worsen less thou allow.

***

 

Stop the clock. Little more than three minutes. Unfortunately, this poem kind of sucks. I gave myself some really hard rhymes though, and I don't think I like villanelles. I can't get their timing and rhythm down. It's so weird to me. I always want to do things either as a heroic couplet or a sonnet. If I ever get that book of poetry out, I don't think there will be a lot of villanelles in there.

 

But anyway, that's it for today. If you want to use the wheel I made, you should be able to access it here. And if you have the time, please check out my books for sale on Amazon which you can find through my author page. The link is below. Also, I reworked my Patreon page, so why not give it a look and consider becoming my patron. I would appreciate it.

Keep writing, my friends.

More About Bryan C. Laesch:

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