The crack is moving down the wall.
Defective plaster isn’t all the cause.
We must remain until the roof falls in.
It’s mildly cheering to recall
That every building has its little flaws.
The crack is moving down the wall.
Here in the kitchen, drinking gin,
We can accept the damndest laws.
We must remain until the roof falls in.
And though there’s no one here at all,
One searches every room because
The crack is moving down the wall.
Repairs? But how can one begin?
The lease has warnings buried in each clause.
We must remain until the roof falls in.
These nights one hears a creaking in the hall,
The sort of thing that gives one pause.
The crack is moving down the wall.
We must remain until the roof falls in.
Weldon Keys
I stumbled upon the villanelle form in my book Staying Alive for my summer poetry class. My class is mainly poetry appreciation intended to inspire poetry of my own. I quite like Weldon Keys “Villanelle.” Sometimes cracks are visible, and for whatever reason, we often seem to wait for the roof to crash. As for my own poems, I have my work cut out for me, nothing ready to share.
The villanelle is a nineteen-line poem with two rhymes throughout, consisting of five tercets (three-line stanzas) and ending with a quatrain (four-line stanza). The first and third lines of the opening tercet recur alternately at the ends of the other tercets and with both repeated at the end of the closing quatrain. Some of the tercets above might look a wee bit, um, janky (with a fourth line) via phone. On my laptop, they come across as intended.
Probably the most famous villanelle is Dylan Thomas’s poem, “Do not go gentle into that good night.” Who knew that this one is a villanelle? I did not. You are welcome.
If you have a minute and a half, here is Thomas reciting his poem in 1952, a year before his untimely death at age 39. For Dylan’s text, click here.
Source:
Staying Alive, ed Neil Astley, Miramax Books, 2003.
Can you see me raising my hand, Crystal? I, too, had not known that Do Not Go Gentle was a villanelle! One of my all-time favorites. Thanks for enlightening me! 😊
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Jane, we enlighten each other. Thank you! It’s never too late to learn something new.
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Very interesting.
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I thought so. Great minds think alike. Thanks for the visit, Melissa!
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Lovely poem Crystal!
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Hello Jason! Thanks for the follow and your appreciation!
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You’re welcome
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It is my favorite also! No matter the style. Thanks for posting the video of him reciting it! I had never seen or heard him reciting.
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I’ve always loved it, too, not realizing he followed a form or that he wrote it so close to the end of his life. It’s haunting to hear and see it that way.
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It is very!
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I had read somewhere it was written for his Father that was dying. Not sure if that is true or not but it sounded like it made sense.
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Yes, at least that’s what Wikipedia says. ❤️
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Then it must correct!!😄😄🤭😊
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Right? 😂
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I like the poem a lot. Although it’s quite, what’s the right word, not despondent but along those lines. It’s kinda sad… but I like it.
Good luck writing! I don’t understand the different style poetry and think that those who can write are cool…
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I find myself drawn to sad these days. Thank you, Eliza. Luck needed.
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Was meant to comment through here 💕.
Went onto browser because couldn’t read the poem properly in the app. Just forgot to say… love, light, and glitter…!
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❤️💡✨ to you!!
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I hope you can see the beauty and light too 💕💕💕
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Most of the time, Eliza! Thank you! Have a great week!
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Though I love and read lots of poetry, I’m not well versed in all of its forms. I enjoyed the rhythm in Dylan Thomas’ villanelle–memorable and powerful in its meaning and rendering.
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“Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” It is unforgettable and powerful. So much to learn and appreciate in this big world of ours. Thank you, Rosaliene!
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I didn’t know Thomas was such a dramatist. He had a wonderful speaking voice. I’m looking forward to when you are ready to share one of your own poems.
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Right? Sometimes I go on YouTube sprees for poetry. I love the drama. And as for my own—such a compliment! Thank you, Priscilla!
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AMAZING WORK
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Yes! I’m thrilled you enjoyed. Have a wonderful Saturday!
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Very interesting. I’d never heard of a villanelle before. Nice post!
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Thanks, Rhonda. If I had ever heard of it, the info passed in one ear and out the other. This time it all soaked in for some reason.
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Your writing already is wonderfully evocative, Crystal, and it aspires to the ethereal. Experiencing it is transformative, as it moves the reader in an instant from seeing things through his/her own eyes, to viewing them through your own.
What an extraordinary endeavor, then, to take that achievement, then to refine it, yet again, through poetry’s many rules and conventions. Similar, I would think, to painting a masterpiece, then to resolving to weave it into a tapestry.
Indeed, poetry’s many customs and formulas strike me as being almost, shall we say, scientific, Fill chalkboards with your equations, Crystal! Like engineers’ labors, yours seek the eternal. Though, unlike their murmurings, yours have warmth and soul.
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Keith, you flatter me with your ode. I see what you did there—writing poetry of your own. I’m blushing. Thanks always for the smile! ❤️
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Ah thanks, Crystal! You inspired, and I reacted.
She started it!
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Nice. Much appreciated and thanks for sharing
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I appreciate your appreciation! Thanks for visiting!
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Crystal, I appreciate your sharing of the poetic form of Villanelle. I have never tried writing poetry in this style, but never say never. I enjoyed Dylan Thomas’ poem. Take care down there in Texas.
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Hello Big Sky! I haven’t either, but I may give it a try. Thanks for visiting! I hope all is well.
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What a wonderful post!
Thank you for sharing
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Thanks so much, Luisa! I appreciate your visit! ❤️
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Pleasure is all mine
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I love the Dylan Thomas poem
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If I had had another son, his name would’ve been Dylan Thomas.
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Great name
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Wow, Crystal, how incredible and powerful to hear him recite that iconic piece of writing he crafted. Thank you!
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I just want to listen to him over and over, and then I want to write something like that! Thank you, CP!
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I agree!!
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Most interesting🌹.
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Yes! Thank you!
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I love the description of your site. Wonderful content you have here. Can’t believe I just found you.
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Hello Kendi! Thank you so much for the visit, your kindness, and the follow.
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I must confess to never having heard about this style of poetry, Crystal. I learned something new today, and that makes for a great one! Thanks for the introduction.
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I try to pass on things I’ve learned and/or want to remember. And to think I taught English for twenty years. 🤷♀️
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