I bent the reeds,
and beheld my love as she splashed the Nile on her cheeks,
and then the cattails snapped.
Her head turned at the noise,
and she smiled wryly, knowing our game was afoot.
I bent the reeds,
and sneaked closer, to smell the fragrance of her beauty.
She hummed our song to let me know the hunt was over,
and then the cattails snapped.
In all these years, her beauty refused to fade.
She was the river, the Nile, untamed, in which she waded.
I bent the reeds
and sneaked closer still, though she heard my hapless floundering.
At last, the moment had come, I would pounce, like a jungle cat…
and then the cattails snapped.
My love, hands on hips, turned to watch me stumble and fall.
Her glorious laugh, greater than Pharaoh’s half-built tomb, burned away my shame
and I bent the reeds, to their breaking,
and smiled when the cattails snapped.
©️ Obol, 2019.
My attempt at a form I just learned about – the Villanelle. Form description can be found in the link.
This has a lovely rhythm. (K)
Thank you! First time attempting that form and it left me feeling quite soothed.
If you just learned about the villanelle, let me tell you, you did better on your first attempt than I have done on most of my attempts in the years since I learned of this form. This was lovely. =)
High praise, thank you! It seems the form is a little similar to my natural rhythms. That said, had you asked me what a “villanelle” was prior to today, I would’ve proudly declared it a small house at the French/Spanish border.
LOL. That sounds fair. You did great with this though!
Many thanks!
Lovely imagery and rhythm!
Thank you, Shannon!