I think I may have posted a few of my poems on this blog before. I have been writing poetry fairly seriously for the last couple of years. Mostly sonnets, but a few old-fashioned, structured poems like villanelles, sestinas, and pantoums. Here is a villanelle I wrote around Election Day, 2018. I find writing verse is a good way to relieve the tightness that I find pervades every part of me these days. Villanelles repeat the 1st and 3rd lines of the first stanza in an ordered way through the rest of the poem. Where I stand on the political spectrum should be no surprise to regular readers of this blog. I would love to get some feedback.
Every Vote Counts
The world is in a downward slump,
And it has made my tummy tight.
Today was just another bump.
Some days, it feels like I’m a chump
To think our lives will turn out right.
The world is in a downward slump.
Our rights will be restored when Trump
And his corrupt crew take to flight.
Today was just another bump.
He kicked our country in the rump.
The future is not shining bright.
The world is in a downward slump.
Our moral core is in the dump.
We need a bold and fearless knight.
Today was just another bump.
With help, we’ll climb atop the hump.
Dawn always rises after night.
The world is in a downward slump.
Today was just another bump.