28/04/2023
National Poetry month, this is a villanelle about heartbreak.
Bleeding Heart
By: Inertia Justice
Heartbreak, oh how it tears us apart,
Leaves us shattered, broken and alone,
A wound that bleeds within the heart.
Once love was a work of art,
Now it's a memory overthrown,
Heartbreak, oh how it tears us apart.
The pain is like a poisoned dart,
That pierces deep into the bone,
A wound that bleeds within the heart.
The tears fall like a work of chart,
A melody of sadness and moan,
Heartbreak, oh how it tears us apart.
The memories are like a work of cart,
That we carry with us, like a stone,
A wound that bleeds within the heart.
But time will heal, and we'll restart,
And find a love that's all our own,
Heartbreak, oh how it tears us apart,
A wound that bleeds within the heart.
How you write one:
A villanelle is a poetic form that consists of 19 lines, with five tercets (three-line stanzas) and a concluding quatrain (four-line stanza).
The first and third lines of the opening tercet are repeated alternately in the following tercets, and both lines are repeated again in the final quatrain.
The rhyme scheme is ABA for the tercets and ABAA for the quatrain. The repetition of the first and third lines creates a haunting and memorable effect, while the strict structure of the form challenges the poet to create a cohesive and meaningful poem within its constraints.
The villanelle is a challenging form, but when executed well, it can be a powerful and moving expression of emotion.