If you're familiar with my work, you've probably picked up on the fact that I'm more open form than closed form poetry. I like a haiku, but if you asked me what a Villanelle was, I probably would've referenced Ursula in 'The Little Mermaid'. That said, this lock down has given me the chance to engage more with poetry that has specific rules and structures. This is a Villanelle, inspired by Dylan Thomas’ famous poem ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’. Not only does the bard bare the soul but his words are beautiful. It’s an intricately crafted poem with five three-line stanzas and then a final quatrain (four).
The first stanza sets the stalls out for the rest of the poem. Every stanza's first lines rhyme, as do every second lines. The first and third line from the first stanza become the alternating end lines in the following. It then culminates in the final quatrain, as the original first and third lines end the poem as a rhyming couplet.
I wrote this piece in homage of Thomas, but also to speak into this current crisis. May it help those struggling to keep on breathing, to do just that - keep on breathing.
Credits...
– Written and delivered by Dai Woolridge
– Soundtrack ‘Breathe on me breath of God’ sung by Cath Woolridge
- Footage thanks to 2vStudios, Videvo.net.
- ‘Spoken-Truth’ footage from ‘Blessed’ with actors Hannah and Mike Barnes.
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