01.05.11: the dirty dozen {villanelles are}

01 a nightmare; there is no other way to say it.
02 legion, and i've committed several.
03 one of those odd strict forms where the highest praise one can give a poet is that the reader forgets he's reading a strict form.
04 the hardest to write.
05 tough to write. I've written a few and are quite fond of them.
04 poised to finally deliver on that promise.
06 a quirky foursome.
07 usually written with a whiff of the tragic.
08 just plain hard work.
09 often written, but rarely written well.
10 simply exercises, well done but no more than that – like a watercolourist on an off day.
11 at their best on slower numbers, which allow more room to indulge fanciful instrumental arrangements and heady, narcotic vocal flourishes.
12 molded of a certain cast. To complete one is quite an achievement.

4 comments:

Amid Privilege said...

826. All of the above.

Amanda said...

You are the best one.

enjelani said...

thanks for making me look up villanelles.  they do look like devilishly tricky work (then again, writing poetry in general always seems terribly daunting to me).  i might have to try my hand at them, and never show 'em to anyone.

speaking of which: will we have the pleasure of reading any of yours?

kidchamp said...

e, compared to the lyrics-and-music combos you slay all the time, i bet villanelles would be no match for you. i haven't written poetry of any sort for a lo-ong time - my sonnet-ish comments on duck soup and taxi driver are as close as i've gotten - but i'm easing back in. i - hmm - promise you a villanelle by the end of the year.