Augsburg, Villanelle, Villanelle Directions

Just because I'm so absolutely excited, I'm going to retype my Villanelle that I'm going to read on Wednesday. Well, also because it might help me memorize it better so I won't have to look at it as much. ANNND I'm going to teach you who don't know how to write one how to write a Villanelle!!! yay!!! Isn't this exciting? Woohoo!!!!!

In What Is Always Right (A Villanelle)

In what is always right,
Singing sharp and lovely bright, glittering
Beauty in a silent night.

Thin fingers reach for pretty lights
of loving crimson, vividly dripping
In what is always right.

Compulsion takes it's hold, a plight
In bloody whispers shaking, trembling,
Hated beauty in a silent night.

Dodging nightmares in blackest night,
Stay here with me, so I'll stay clinging
To what is always right.

Please keep my stronghold to the light,
Hide shiv'ring wrists so life stays seeming
Beauty in a silent night,
In what is always right.


How to Write a Villanelle (In Brii Language Using Her Poem "My Key" as an Example)

Alright, so the basic structure of a Villanelle is five stanzas, four of three lines each and one of four lines, using two repeating lines that rhyme with one another. The first thing you'll want to do is choose your repeating lines, which we'll call A1 and A2.

Repeating lines in "My Key:"
A1--If only I could find the key
A2--Maybe then my heart could see

Once you have your repeating lines chosen, you can write your first stanza. The first stanza will begin with A1 and end with A2, with a non-rhyming line B1 in the middle.

A1--If only I could find the key,
B1--The one I think I left behind,
A2--Maybe then my heart could see.

The next stanza will begin with a new line A3, rhyming with A1 and A2, followed by a line B2 rhyming with B1, and ending with line A1.

A3--A nagging thought won't let me be
B2--A thought that clings inside my mind
A1--If only I could find the key.

Your third stanza will have a similar pattern; A4-B3-A2.

A4--Unfamiliar Feelings Consume me, wrap me
B3--In joyous bewilderment. If I could only understand,
A2--Maybe then my heart could see.

Following pattern, your fourth stanza will look like this:

A5--These fears I felt are gone, it seems,
B4--And I'm glad I chose to take your hand.
A1--If only I could find the key...

Finally, your last stanza will have four lines, with the pattern A6-B5-A2-A1. In my example, I altered the beginning of line A1. This is an option that you have; however, it is difficult to do this without changing the lines too much, which will mean your poem is not a true villanelle, so i wouldn't recommend doing this if you aren't confident in your writing to know that it will still be in true villanelle form.

A6--Stay with me a while, please,
B5--and next to you I think I'll stand,
A2--So maybe then my heart could see...
A1--If only I could find the key.

So, your full villanelle will look something like this:

My Key (A Villanelle)

If I could only find the key,
The one I think I left behind,
Maybe then my heart could see.

A nagging thought won't let me be,
A thought that clings inside my mind.
If only I could find the key.

Unfamiliar thoughts consume me, wrap me
In joyous bewilderment. If only I could understand,
Maybe then my heart could see.

These fears I felt are gone, it seems,
and I'm glad I chose to take your hand.
If only I could find the key...

Stay with me a while, please,
and next to you I think I'll stand,
So maybe then my heart could see...
If only I could find the key.

Congratulations! You now know how to write a poem in villanelle form! Hooray!!!! Feel special.

I hope you enjoyed this little tutoring session! Lemme know if you think I should do more of them, I kind of enjoyed that.

Love,
Brii333

I'M GOING TO BE PUBLISHED!!!!!!!!

HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!

I've been submitting work to various magazines and other things for a couple of months now, which I've never really done before. I've heard from two of them, and I got into both!

So, I, Brianna Fynboh, will be reading my poem ("In What Is Always Right (a Villanelle)")at Augsburg college next wednesday. Also, my acrostic ("Plucking Flower Petals; Acrostic: Anticipation) will be published in The Talking Stick magazine, or at least my teacher said it was going to be and she's smart so I'm thinking she knows.

I'm very excited!!!!!

So yeah, I have to go to class, so I'll talk to YOU later!

xoxo,
Brii

Sonnet

A glowing red across my face
Sharp numbers on the clock
Tell me time still follows pace,
Though life seems to have stopped.
I fear one day I'll look behind
At twisted descending days
To see the one good thing I find
Has slipped out of my way.
Search for just one reason to run,
To grasp just one sweet breath,
To chase, to maybe catch the sun,
To catch up to my death.
I wish that I could show you, that maybe you could see
The true extent of panic which grows inside of me.

Acrostic; Naked

Never felt so beautiful,
Alive and here for once in my life.
Keep me close so I can feel you breathe
Every time you whisper in my ear.
Don't let me disappear again.

Sestina

My faintly worn path is careless,
a bewildering road
thrown intoa mess
of others, tangling over
a map backed in shaded gray fear.
do you understand, my friend?

It feels asd though i'm splitting, friend,
And I'm lured by a want to be careless.
I know this obsession is what you fear.
My life is a dividing road
With two conduits for you and I to fight over.
We both know I'llthrow away balance in favor of mess.

The idea of choosing mess
Consumes me, and this inner chaos is a fancied friend.
I long for the unhealthy race-too-soon-over,
and I cannot forget my lovely-colored careless.
I've never wished for a road
Of "perfect" safety, and i'm sorry for your fear.

and though i know you only fear
For my well-being and snarled mind of mess,
I'll still depart from the road
You ask me to construct, as a true friend.
I'll feed this endless taste for life (with a side of careless)
Despite the realization that his headlong adrenaline rush will quickly be over.

I told you my healthless run was over,
A tiny-big-black-white lie to calm the fear.
I'm thinking this was insanely careless.
You know me well enough not to see the mess.
You love me more then I deserve, friend,
From my selfish soul to the poorly maintained road.

Soon, my restless self will take to the road.
I've got time to kill, burned bridges to cross over,
and I'm yet stuill hopefull that you're the friend
I keep. Losing you is a dark possibility I fear.
Without you, life would be more so a mess.
I can only apoligize, love, for my excess so careless.

The short and winding road I walk, without fear,
Though the walk shall soon be over, an end to my mess.
I wish I had not treated the friend, only friend, with such careless.

In What is Always Right (A Villanelle)

In what is always right,
Singing sharp and lovely bright, glittering
Beauty in a silent night.

Thin fingers reach for pretty lights
of loving crimson, vividly dripping
In what is always right.

Compulsion takes its hold, a plight
In bloody whispers, shaking, trembling,
Hated beauty in a silent night.

Dodging nightmares in blackest night,
Stay here with me, so I'll stay clinging
To what is always right.

Please keep my stronghold to the light,
Hide shiv'ring wrists so life stays seeming
Beauty in a silent night,
In what is always right.

Ekphrasis--Fiery Dance

Flaming bodies,
Pulling close,
Reaching for one another in
Passionate fervor,
So enveloped in our own
Desperate heat to see
The quiet one, all
Enclosed in delicate and periwinkle,
Unable to take that extra step
In living supposedly unrestrained
As we do.