I Wrote A Villanelle

Yes, for last week's show I wrote a villanelle.

As Wikipedia explains, "a villanelle (also known as villanesque) is a nineteen-line poetic for consisting of five tercets followed by a quatrain."

I know that sounds perverted, but it just means there are five blocks which have the rhyme scheme ABA & one last one that goes ABAA.  Plus the first two rhyming lines repeat all through the poem.

No one calls it a villanesque.

Maybe the most famous villanelle - certainly the most powerful - is Dylan Thomas':

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

You can listen to it (I don't know if it's Thomas himself reading it) here.

Mine was stupid - celebrating playing a bunch of songs called "Wonderful."  Even though a few of them were called "Wunderbar."  Here it is:

Oh man I can't believe it's all done.
Ninety minutes of songs called wonderful.
Jeez, you would've thought it'd be more fun.

I'm kind of tired, as if I had run
A race all lightning & thunderful
Oh man I can't believe it's all done.

At this point in the poem I usually use a pun
It's awkward, it's really blunderful
Jeez, you would've thought it'd be more fun.

But I played all the damn songs one by one
Through my record collection I was plunderful
Oh man I can't believe it's all done.

Twenty songs with the same name I spun.
Afraid things would get all asunderful
Jeez, you would've thought it'd be more fun.

Have I things to show for it?  No, none.
I wanted quality while being numberful.
Oh man I can't believe it's all done.
Jeez, you would've thought it'd be more fun.

Now, of course, I've stuck my doggerel on the same page with one of the best poems ever written.  This is certainly the magic of the internets.