Hi there,
I wrote the last villanelle as a demonstration of the form for a video I was going to do for the children in my school, but when I read it back I realised that it was far too dark and depressing for Primary School. That left me in the horrible position of having to come up with another one in quick time in order to get the video recorded and on the YouTube channel.
No mean feat, I can tell you, and I drove myself down a blind alley with the rhyme scheme, but I managed to come up with something. Having gone to those lengths, I thought I might as well share it here too.
This one is all about the playgrounds that are standing empty at the minute and how we can look forward to a day, hopefully sooner rather than later, when we can use them again and give our children the chance to climb and swing and do all those things they love. Hope you enjoy it. Like I said, 15-20 minutes so don’t expect Wordsworth (not that 15-20 years would really make any of my stuff Wordsworth to be honest).
How I Wish
How I wish I could play on the swings!
Is that really too much to ask?
Slides and merry-go-rounds and all those things.
Walking and cycling, yes happiness brings,
And each home learning task,
How I wish I could play on the swings!
I think of playgrounds and my heart it sings,
Deserted, unused, in sunlight they bask,
Slides and merry-go-rounds and all those things.
When this is over, we’ll climb high and stand like kings,
Atop the frames we’ll drink lemonade by the cask,
How I wish I could play on the swings!
The zebras and cars that sit on their springs,
They’re so still and no-one can we attask,
Slides and merry-go-rounds and all those things.
But the day will come soon when we’ll spread our wings,
Go out together without wearing a mask,
Slides and merry-go-rounds and all those things,
How I wish I could play on the swings!
Thanks for reading. Check out more of my poetry by clicking the links below or subscribe to this site to see all the other stuff I write about.
Thanks very much,
Richard
Until the Day – A Virus Villanelle
The Interminable Isolation of Engelbert
A Projection of a Man – a poem
The Devil Breathed Out- a poem
The Ardenna Crossing 
I read both of your villanelles and it’s nice to see another writer exploring the form. Maybe we should write a villanelle about the virus giving us the opportunity to write these villanelles. 😀 I didn’t think your villanelle was dark at all but very entertaining.
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Thanks so much for reading. I did the first one with the intention of sharing it as an example with the kids at school; when I read it back it seemed a little too depressing for them.
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