My legs, leaden with a long winter’s sloth,
awaken with a tingle and I begin to fidget,
eager to walk, to work the stiffness off.
At crack of spring, blackbirds and finches scoff
loudly in the woods – a feathered quartet
to rouse legs leaden from long winter’s sloth.
Marvelling at the delicate hazy growth,
I cross the field, past the hawthorn thicket,
eager to walk, to work the stiffness off,
Golden celandines and primroses soft
spatter the hedgerows with sunshine – and yet
my legs are leaden from long winter’s sloth.
Daffodils ripple as I stifle a cough
in the chill March winds that I try to forget;
I’m eager to walk, to work the stiffness off,
Fresh rain sparkles in a newly dug trough,
washes away any sorrow or regret;
my legs, leaden with a long winter’s sloth,
prepare to march and work the stiffness off.
Kim M. Russell, 28th March 2019
My response to dVerse Poets Pub Forms for All: the Villanelle, also linked to earthweal open link weekend #62
Sarah reminds us that it’s time to look at another form – the villanelle! She says that it’s a beautiful form, but it has its challenges, and tells us about her personal relationship with the form as well as something about its history and structure, together with some examples.
I was delighted to read that Sarah encountered her first villanelle on the London Underground because I had posters of Poems on the Underground pinned up around my classroom when I was teaching. I also enjoyed the poem ‘One Art’ by Elizabeth Bishop and absolutely adore her second example, ‘Jewels in my hand’ by Sasha Moorsom – hard acts to follow.
Oh lovely. Perfect for this time of year, great
conversational tone – hard to make all that repetition sound natural! – and some xlever rhymes.
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Thank you, Sarah. 😊
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Very pastoral and spring-like.
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Thanks Jane.
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You and Grace had a similar Spring Muse. I loved the flow and build, with the refrains, and smoothly you trimmed them to work within the tercets. My piece, of course, ran toward philosophy and politics.
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Thanks Glenn. I’m off to bed and will be back in the morning to read and comment.
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I would love to walk with you Kim. The repetitive lines are so well done:
my legs, leaden with a long winter’s sloth,
prepare to march and work the stiffness off.
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Thank you so much, Grace.
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Grace also wrote about this change of season. Love this different perspective.
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Thank you, Sabio.
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In vivo and a beautiful rendering of the form, Kim!
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Thank you, Jade!
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You are welcome, Kim 🙂
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my legs, leaden with a long winter’s sloth,
Yes,me too. Hacer move all winter and I am feeling it! Beautiful and so accurate of the season!
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Thank you, Mary!
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Haven’t moved, not hacer move.
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So marvelous Kim. You write this form so well.
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Thanks so much, Linda!
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I also liked this spring poem and the conversational tone. I somehow imagined you walking with the Wordsworths. 🙂 Not the style, but it made me think of that group of poets wandering amidst the daffodils.
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Now that’s a wonderful thought, Merril, walking with the Wordsworths! 😊
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Isn’t it? You’re welcome. 🙂
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very cool, and an inspiration ~
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Thank you!
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So good!
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Thank you, Kunal!
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I feel the same, it’s lovely to detangle the stiffness and work out the sloth… just like spring should be.
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What a lovely walk. 😊
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Thank you, Imelda.😊
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Such a different landscape and season here, yet I felt as if I was right there with you as Spring wakes up your world and you.
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But you are, Rosemary!
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🙂
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The rhythm and the words capture the feeling of awakening. (K)
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Thank you, Kerfe.
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I love the leaden legs and the winter sloth as you interweave these into the beginning of Spring and to walk again!
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Thank you!
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I love the celandines and primrose spattering the hedgerows Kim, a lovely write on the changing season 🙂💖 xxx
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Thank you so much, Xenia! 🙂 xxx
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That’s a lovely poem for the start of Spring and for restarting ourselves
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Thank you, Namratha.
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I enjoyed this, so many images of nature and how well I know that winter stiffness! I especially like your ending quatrain.
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Thank you so much!
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the flow of this felt so good to the soul. beautiful.
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Thank you kindly.
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you’re welcome, Kim!
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Lovely! I love reading villanelles. It must be the repeat lines that make them sound nostalgic or or.. filled with emotion of some sort or the other.
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Thank you¬ They can be tricky to write but well worth it.
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The visuals in this poem are striking. I could easily imagine walking off the stiffness while the earth comes back to life too.
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Thank yo you!
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A wonderful villanelle……….I so know the feeling of needing to walk the stiffness off………and love all the birds in your poem.
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Thank you, Sherry!
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I loved this — the interplay between a sore begrudging attention and the shouting of spring all around was a delight. We poets are sluggards of a sea of ecstasies we live amid … Delightfully constructed.
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Thank you, Brendan.
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Kim, I’m glad you brought this one back. Sheer joy to read it. I understand about the legs!
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Thank you, Lisa!
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You’re welcome.
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‘my legs are leaden from long winter’s sloth.’ – How I feel this after almost 5 months in lockdown! I am trying to get out on my bike or walk whenever possible. How nice that the spring is making this so much more pleasant!
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I’m allowed out on Wednesday and I’m bricking it! Thank goodness I live in the countryside.
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I would suffer the stiffness to see and hear all those beautiful gifts from nature. This was gorgeous Kim ☺️💕
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Thanks Christine!
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Beautifully written, Kim, a seamless villanelle…..all those subtle rhymes!
JIM
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Thank you, Jim!
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