Painting by Luke Fildes‘When?’ and Other Valentine’s Day Poetry by Susan Jarvis Bryant The Society February 14, 2024 Beauty, Love Poems, Poetry, Villanelle 26 Comments . When? I’ll love you when the bee has lost its buzz, When wolf and bear have quit their howl and growl, When lambs don’t sport a snow-spun fleece of fuzz And hoots don’t float from barns that house an owl. I’ll love you when the spin of earth is stilled, When moons don’t bloom and stars don’t stud the skies. I’ll love you when the flare of sun has chilled And sea-breeze leas have lost their salt-tang highs. I’ll love you when the dawn-drenched lark can’t sing, When shrikes don’t shriek and hawks don’t squawk and wheel. I’ll love you when the lies you told don’t sting. I’ll love you when the heart you peeled can heal. I’ll love you when the tears I cry run dry… And then I’ll love you till the day I die. Originally published in Snakeskin . . A Monosyllabic, Monorhyme, Valentine Villanelle I ache to take your hand. My head says no— You’ll sway me, play me, then you’ll let me go. My heart says take a chance. Dance long and slow. Which one (my head or heart) is in the know? Fazed by your blaze, I melt like sun-soaked snow. I ache to take your hand. My head says no. Your wish, it heats the breeze as Spring winds blow. Your beat thrums though my veins. I feel the flow. My heart says take a chance. Dance long and slow Through moon-licked hues of blue as night skies glow And gleam in scenes that steal the bright-star show. I ache to take your hand. My head says no. In dreams neath love-creased sheets you are the beau Who draws my lips and hips to yours, and oh… My heart says take a chance. Dance long and slow. But still my flip-flop thoughts skip to and fro. The dos and don’ts won’t stop. They grow and grow. I ache to take your hand. My head says no… My heart says take a chance… dance long and slow. Originally published in Snakeskin . . He Doesn’t Love Me… He doesn’t love me with a bold bouquet Or scented petals strewn on silken sheets. He doesn’t love me with a trite cliché Of lacy lingerie and ribboned treats. He doesn’t love me with a mini-break— Some saucy weekend spree down by the sea. He loves me with a heat that makes me ache— A fire that rips the ragged breath from me. He loves me with the mysteries of the moon, The bliss of stars and whispers of the dark. He loves me with the shiver and the swoon Of dawn’s fierce kiss—the blush, the rush, the spark. He doesn’t love me with a fleeting vow— He loves me with forever… starting now. Originally published in The Lyric . . Susan Jarvis Bryant has poetry published on Lighten Up Online, Snakeskin, Light, Sparks of Calliope, and Expansive Poetry Online. She also has poetry published in TRINACRIA, Beth Houston’s Extreme Formal Poems anthology, and in Openings (anthologies of poems by Open University Poets in the UK). Susan is the winner of the 2020 International SCP Poetry Competition, and has been nominated for the 2022 Pushcart Prize. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. 26 Responses Sally Cook February 14, 2024 Dear Susan Your poems are always filled with mirth and unexpected pathos. They bubble over with rollicking rhymes, and can always be counted on to be well worth the reading! Have a wonderful Valentine’s day, dear friend, with Mike and your peripatetic felines. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 14, 2024 Sally, it’s always lovely to receive a comment from your good self and this one’s a real treat. We’re having a quiet day… a picnic in the backyard, camera at hand (as ever) to photograph our furred, feathered, and freaky visitors… and (of course) George Lionel and Howie, our fickle, feline familiars, will be joining us… or not. What a crazy day we have in store. Mike and I wish you and Bob a glorious Valentine’s Day. Reply Cynthia Erlandson February 14, 2024 “When” is so sweet — until the sad last four lines deftly bring in the heartbreak. Your descriptions of natural phenomena are sweet in this one, too, especially “I’ll love you when the spin of earth is stilled.” “He Doesn’t Love Me” also has a clever turn to heartbreak, that I think actually is present through the whole poem, but doesn’t become clear — if I’m interpreting correctly — until the last words, “starting now.”, which seem to hint that the narrator has been unrealistically dreaming. This is a clever ending. My favorite is the villanelle. Your ability to set yourself the extra limitations of carrying one rhyme throughout, and using only monosyllabic words, shows your great dexterity with form. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 14, 2024 Cynthia, thank you so much for your appreciation of my poems. I’m especially glad you like the “descriptions of natural phenomena” (great phrase). I adore nature… I can’t get enough of God’s glorious outdoor gifts. My ideal Valentine’s date is always a long, hand-in-hand walk in scenic surrounds. I would rather feast my eyes upon the wildflowers bursting beneath a sprawl of blue than a bunch of hot house roses on the coffee table… Mike loves that idea LOL… no card, no bouquets, just an al fresco date with my true love and I’m smiling. Happy Valentine’s Day to you and Paul! Reply Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 Susan, what an amazing trio of explorations of love for Valentine’s Day! I love all three of these poems, Susan. The villanelle is particularly clever for your use of monosyllabic words. It’s a fun but meaningful poem of romantic ambivalence — those “flip-flop thoughts” which are expressed so well in this form and in this style. “He Doesn’t Love Me” is breathlessly passionate as the speaker discounts all those mundane expressions of love and goes right to the pulse-pounding erotic and emotionally explosive moments that makes one’s heart beat faster. That’s true love. I saw an interview with Anne Bancroft a long time ago. As you know she was married to Mel Brooks. She said that even after decades of marriage every time she saw him coming home and entering the front door her heart actually fluttered. That’s what your pome made me think of. My favorite of the three poems — and the trio’s lynchpin — is “When…” which on first reading sounds like a “forever” poem of love. But read a second time my eyes grew a little wider. It’s a “never” poem. All of these impossible events must take place before the speaker will love the one who inflicted such wounds that the heart may never heal and the lies will never sting. There’s a conflict in the speaker’s tone. I get the impression she so wants to love this person and knows it cannot be. If I am reading this poem correctly, both the words and between the lines, t is actually terribly sad. That is what makes this trio of poems so perfect: “When…” is what makes this trio of poems so perfect. “When” is no, never. “Monosyllabic” is maybe. And “He Doesn’t Love Me” is a resounding “yes. By the way, you complete the inversion with the title of He Doesn’t Love Me. “When” masquerades as a love poem and is not. “He Doesn’t Love” masquerades as a non-love poem yet truly is. These really keep us on our toes! Fantastic work! Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 14, 2024 Brian, you have cracked the code of my cunning conundrum with a comment that astounds me. It’s as if you have crept inside my head and heart and drawn out my every thought when writing these three poems. I now have you down as a lead-casket picker of the highest order. The Anne Bancroft story is beautiful and puts me in mind of my grandparents. Their eyes lit up at the sight of one another… and I once caught them kissing in the kitchen when they were in their eighties… a passionate kiss that spelled out the meaning of enduring and true love… the sort of love that’s rare. I am glad I captured some of that magic in “He Doesn’t Love Me…”. As for “When?” – this is a very sad sonnet. I know it’s a bit ambitious, but I wanted to echo Shakespeare with his unique view of love… the volta being pivotal to the poem’s success. I’m over the moon this is your favorite… and that you got it… albeit upon a second reading. Thank you for your patience and dedication to the words. You may note that this poem is also monosyllabic. Someone said to me you cannot write a monosyllabic poem and have it run smoothly… I wonder whether they’re right? Brian, thank you very much indeed. A very happy Valentine’s Day to you and Jerry! Reply Norma Pain February 14, 2024 Happy Valentine’s Day Susan, and thank you for these three amazing love poems. I love the back and forth pull in “A Monosyllabic, Monorhyme, Valentine Villanelle”. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 14, 2024 Happy Valentine’s Day to you too, Norma, and thank you very much indeed for your wonderful comment. I thoroughly enjoyed writing the villanelle and I’m thrilled you enjoyed it. I know that back-and-forth pull is responsible for many a what-might-have-been moment… although, I will argue that when true love strikes… the back-and-forth pull is nowhere to be seen, felt, or heard. 🙂 Reply Roy Eugene Peterson February 14, 2024 “When” speaks to me of an unrequited unfulfilled love, a longing wishful love that may never happen, and yet one that retains hope. “Valentine Villanelle” with its Shakespearean iambic pentameter is as much of a Sonnet as it is a Villanelle. The passion portrayed in this poem certainly fits the parameters of your Challenge of several months ago calling for contributions of poems of passion. It is romantic, sensual, and erotic without crossing the lines of decency. “He Doesn’t Love Me” with the fantastic twist at the end is fascinating and rewarding. Love and romance are so much more than chocolates, flowers, and lingerie gifts on Valentine’s Day. The feelings from the conclusion of the poem touched my heart and soul! Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 14, 2024 Roy, what a beautiful comment – thank you so very much for your in depth readings of my three poems. Love comes in many guises and has many aspects and angles to it. I am most grateful to you for reading between the lines and seeing and feeling the emotions I tried to portray. Your words let me know I was successful in my mission… they mean a lot. Wishing you a beautiful Valentine’s, and thanks again. Reply Paul A. Freeman February 14, 2024 Three lovely poems, Susan, though the first did catch me by surprise towards the end. Thanks for the reads. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 14, 2024 Thank you very much, Paul. It heartens me to hear you were surprised by the turn in “When?” – I aimed to surprise and I’m smiling. Here’s wishing you a happy Valentine’s Day. Reply Jeff Eardley February 14, 2024 Susan, I had to take a cold shower after reading your amazing love trio. My favourite is “When” but all three are up there with your best. Thanks for a great romantic interlude on a gloomy day over here. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 14, 2024 Jeff, I am pleased to provide you with a touch of romance on a gloomy UK day… I hope you’re off to the local to bring them a touch of musical magic on a cold Valentine night. Thank you very much for your encouraging words. Reply Joseph S. Salemi February 14, 2024 All of these are magnificent. They speak with an intensity that wrings one’s heart. How utterly appropriate for Valentine’s Day, and also for the day that tells us “Remember man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return.” The monosyllabic and monorhyme villanelle is a tour de force in its technical skill. But it also is profoundly serious, in its revelation of the agonizing question that a woman must ask herself before sex — is this a wise move, or am I just carelessly indulging my lust? Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 14, 2024 Joe, the word “magnificent” has produced a smile that is making my cheeks ache. Thank you for your appreciation of the effort I have put into my poems… all with joy, of course. Even better, your mention of “Remember man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return” and how appropriate my works are where these superlative words of wisdom are concerned, has humbled me. I always try to tap into the human condition. I know we are sinful. I know life is tough. And I know of God’s joy… His ultimate love. Joe, happy Valentine’s Day to you and thank you very much indeed! Reply Gigi Ryan February 14, 2024 Dear Susan, I love each of these and have reread them. Your poems are fun to read and filled with observations of truth, even when it hurts. I am enjoying your comments as well. My husband isn’t the roses type either, but we too love a good hike together. Happy Valentine’s Day. Gigi Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 15, 2024 Gigi, thank you very much for your lovely comment. A good hike sounds wonderful. I love it when I hear of couples embracing the outdoors and basking in all the glory it has to offer. I always look forward to the wildflower season here in Texas… bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes, buttercups, and all things beautiful line the roadsides and fill the fields… just the time to get my hiking boots on. I hope you and your husband had a beautiful Valentine’s Day. Reply C.B. Anderson February 15, 2024 These poems are more heart-healthy than Omega-3s or olive-leaf extract. There is always so much heart in your art. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 15, 2024 C.B., I simply love this comment! Heart-healthy poems are always my aim… I’m glad these were a success. Thank you very much indeed! Reply Yael February 15, 2024 Your poetry never disappoints Susan, and these three are all amazing in their own way. Reading your poems is like embarking on an exciting adventure trip into a better and brighter realm of verbal communication. A land where words don’t bore or bother the flow of life or hinder the pursuit of happiness. I’m in love with the line “hoots don’t float from barns that house an owl”. I could think of so many trite and boring ways this could have been phrased, and you circumnavigated them all to come up with this gem of an expression. You are my true Valentine, thank you! Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 15, 2024 Yael, you have made my Thursday evening bright and beautiful with your delightful comment in glorious words I will treasure always. I’m overjoyed you liked my owl line. I had a little trouble with getting the right words for that. Owls aren’t synonymous with love, but I love them and wanted one to make its presence known in my poem. The fact that my little hooting hero has lit up the poem for you is wonderful news. Yael, you have made all my efforts sweating the barn owl stuff worthwhile. Thank you very much indeed! Reply Joshua C. Frank February 15, 2024 My favorite of these is “A Monosyllabic, Monorhyme, Valentine Villanelle.” Not only does it have the usual internal rhyme and alliteration, but this one has lots of rich rhymes (where rhyming words share the same consonant before the rhyming vowel, such as no/know/snow, blow/flow/slow/glow, fro/grow), as is customary in French poetry (where poets aim for rich rhymes such as these as much as possible). I also like the idea of making the two rhymes of a villanelle as one. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 15, 2024 Josh, I’m so pleased you like my villanelle. It was a technical challenge and I thoroughly appreciate your knowledge of the French language and French forms – an asset when it comes to recognizing and explaining (so clearly and beautifully) details often overlooked. I love the musicality of the French forms… rich rhymes go a long way to achieving that effect. I am thrilled you spotted the intricacies of this poem and thank you very much for your encouraging and enlightening comment. Reply Sally Cook February 15, 2024 WONDERFUL. BEAUTIFUL. THANK YOU, Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant February 16, 2024 Sally, you are most welcome, and thank you very much indeed, my friend. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Sally Cook February 14, 2024 Dear Susan Your poems are always filled with mirth and unexpected pathos. They bubble over with rollicking rhymes, and can always be counted on to be well worth the reading! Have a wonderful Valentine’s day, dear friend, with Mike and your peripatetic felines. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 14, 2024 Sally, it’s always lovely to receive a comment from your good self and this one’s a real treat. We’re having a quiet day… a picnic in the backyard, camera at hand (as ever) to photograph our furred, feathered, and freaky visitors… and (of course) George Lionel and Howie, our fickle, feline familiars, will be joining us… or not. What a crazy day we have in store. Mike and I wish you and Bob a glorious Valentine’s Day. Reply
Cynthia Erlandson February 14, 2024 “When” is so sweet — until the sad last four lines deftly bring in the heartbreak. Your descriptions of natural phenomena are sweet in this one, too, especially “I’ll love you when the spin of earth is stilled.” “He Doesn’t Love Me” also has a clever turn to heartbreak, that I think actually is present through the whole poem, but doesn’t become clear — if I’m interpreting correctly — until the last words, “starting now.”, which seem to hint that the narrator has been unrealistically dreaming. This is a clever ending. My favorite is the villanelle. Your ability to set yourself the extra limitations of carrying one rhyme throughout, and using only monosyllabic words, shows your great dexterity with form. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 14, 2024 Cynthia, thank you so much for your appreciation of my poems. I’m especially glad you like the “descriptions of natural phenomena” (great phrase). I adore nature… I can’t get enough of God’s glorious outdoor gifts. My ideal Valentine’s date is always a long, hand-in-hand walk in scenic surrounds. I would rather feast my eyes upon the wildflowers bursting beneath a sprawl of blue than a bunch of hot house roses on the coffee table… Mike loves that idea LOL… no card, no bouquets, just an al fresco date with my true love and I’m smiling. Happy Valentine’s Day to you and Paul! Reply
Brian A. Yapko February 14, 2024 Susan, what an amazing trio of explorations of love for Valentine’s Day! I love all three of these poems, Susan. The villanelle is particularly clever for your use of monosyllabic words. It’s a fun but meaningful poem of romantic ambivalence — those “flip-flop thoughts” which are expressed so well in this form and in this style. “He Doesn’t Love Me” is breathlessly passionate as the speaker discounts all those mundane expressions of love and goes right to the pulse-pounding erotic and emotionally explosive moments that makes one’s heart beat faster. That’s true love. I saw an interview with Anne Bancroft a long time ago. As you know she was married to Mel Brooks. She said that even after decades of marriage every time she saw him coming home and entering the front door her heart actually fluttered. That’s what your pome made me think of. My favorite of the three poems — and the trio’s lynchpin — is “When…” which on first reading sounds like a “forever” poem of love. But read a second time my eyes grew a little wider. It’s a “never” poem. All of these impossible events must take place before the speaker will love the one who inflicted such wounds that the heart may never heal and the lies will never sting. There’s a conflict in the speaker’s tone. I get the impression she so wants to love this person and knows it cannot be. If I am reading this poem correctly, both the words and between the lines, t is actually terribly sad. That is what makes this trio of poems so perfect: “When…” is what makes this trio of poems so perfect. “When” is no, never. “Monosyllabic” is maybe. And “He Doesn’t Love Me” is a resounding “yes. By the way, you complete the inversion with the title of He Doesn’t Love Me. “When” masquerades as a love poem and is not. “He Doesn’t Love” masquerades as a non-love poem yet truly is. These really keep us on our toes! Fantastic work! Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 14, 2024 Brian, you have cracked the code of my cunning conundrum with a comment that astounds me. It’s as if you have crept inside my head and heart and drawn out my every thought when writing these three poems. I now have you down as a lead-casket picker of the highest order. The Anne Bancroft story is beautiful and puts me in mind of my grandparents. Their eyes lit up at the sight of one another… and I once caught them kissing in the kitchen when they were in their eighties… a passionate kiss that spelled out the meaning of enduring and true love… the sort of love that’s rare. I am glad I captured some of that magic in “He Doesn’t Love Me…”. As for “When?” – this is a very sad sonnet. I know it’s a bit ambitious, but I wanted to echo Shakespeare with his unique view of love… the volta being pivotal to the poem’s success. I’m over the moon this is your favorite… and that you got it… albeit upon a second reading. Thank you for your patience and dedication to the words. You may note that this poem is also monosyllabic. Someone said to me you cannot write a monosyllabic poem and have it run smoothly… I wonder whether they’re right? Brian, thank you very much indeed. A very happy Valentine’s Day to you and Jerry! Reply
Norma Pain February 14, 2024 Happy Valentine’s Day Susan, and thank you for these three amazing love poems. I love the back and forth pull in “A Monosyllabic, Monorhyme, Valentine Villanelle”. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 14, 2024 Happy Valentine’s Day to you too, Norma, and thank you very much indeed for your wonderful comment. I thoroughly enjoyed writing the villanelle and I’m thrilled you enjoyed it. I know that back-and-forth pull is responsible for many a what-might-have-been moment… although, I will argue that when true love strikes… the back-and-forth pull is nowhere to be seen, felt, or heard. 🙂 Reply
Roy Eugene Peterson February 14, 2024 “When” speaks to me of an unrequited unfulfilled love, a longing wishful love that may never happen, and yet one that retains hope. “Valentine Villanelle” with its Shakespearean iambic pentameter is as much of a Sonnet as it is a Villanelle. The passion portrayed in this poem certainly fits the parameters of your Challenge of several months ago calling for contributions of poems of passion. It is romantic, sensual, and erotic without crossing the lines of decency. “He Doesn’t Love Me” with the fantastic twist at the end is fascinating and rewarding. Love and romance are so much more than chocolates, flowers, and lingerie gifts on Valentine’s Day. The feelings from the conclusion of the poem touched my heart and soul! Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 14, 2024 Roy, what a beautiful comment – thank you so very much for your in depth readings of my three poems. Love comes in many guises and has many aspects and angles to it. I am most grateful to you for reading between the lines and seeing and feeling the emotions I tried to portray. Your words let me know I was successful in my mission… they mean a lot. Wishing you a beautiful Valentine’s, and thanks again. Reply
Paul A. Freeman February 14, 2024 Three lovely poems, Susan, though the first did catch me by surprise towards the end. Thanks for the reads. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 14, 2024 Thank you very much, Paul. It heartens me to hear you were surprised by the turn in “When?” – I aimed to surprise and I’m smiling. Here’s wishing you a happy Valentine’s Day. Reply
Jeff Eardley February 14, 2024 Susan, I had to take a cold shower after reading your amazing love trio. My favourite is “When” but all three are up there with your best. Thanks for a great romantic interlude on a gloomy day over here. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 14, 2024 Jeff, I am pleased to provide you with a touch of romance on a gloomy UK day… I hope you’re off to the local to bring them a touch of musical magic on a cold Valentine night. Thank you very much for your encouraging words. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi February 14, 2024 All of these are magnificent. They speak with an intensity that wrings one’s heart. How utterly appropriate for Valentine’s Day, and also for the day that tells us “Remember man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return.” The monosyllabic and monorhyme villanelle is a tour de force in its technical skill. But it also is profoundly serious, in its revelation of the agonizing question that a woman must ask herself before sex — is this a wise move, or am I just carelessly indulging my lust? Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 14, 2024 Joe, the word “magnificent” has produced a smile that is making my cheeks ache. Thank you for your appreciation of the effort I have put into my poems… all with joy, of course. Even better, your mention of “Remember man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return” and how appropriate my works are where these superlative words of wisdom are concerned, has humbled me. I always try to tap into the human condition. I know we are sinful. I know life is tough. And I know of God’s joy… His ultimate love. Joe, happy Valentine’s Day to you and thank you very much indeed! Reply
Gigi Ryan February 14, 2024 Dear Susan, I love each of these and have reread them. Your poems are fun to read and filled with observations of truth, even when it hurts. I am enjoying your comments as well. My husband isn’t the roses type either, but we too love a good hike together. Happy Valentine’s Day. Gigi Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 15, 2024 Gigi, thank you very much for your lovely comment. A good hike sounds wonderful. I love it when I hear of couples embracing the outdoors and basking in all the glory it has to offer. I always look forward to the wildflower season here in Texas… bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes, buttercups, and all things beautiful line the roadsides and fill the fields… just the time to get my hiking boots on. I hope you and your husband had a beautiful Valentine’s Day. Reply
C.B. Anderson February 15, 2024 These poems are more heart-healthy than Omega-3s or olive-leaf extract. There is always so much heart in your art. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 15, 2024 C.B., I simply love this comment! Heart-healthy poems are always my aim… I’m glad these were a success. Thank you very much indeed! Reply
Yael February 15, 2024 Your poetry never disappoints Susan, and these three are all amazing in their own way. Reading your poems is like embarking on an exciting adventure trip into a better and brighter realm of verbal communication. A land where words don’t bore or bother the flow of life or hinder the pursuit of happiness. I’m in love with the line “hoots don’t float from barns that house an owl”. I could think of so many trite and boring ways this could have been phrased, and you circumnavigated them all to come up with this gem of an expression. You are my true Valentine, thank you! Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 15, 2024 Yael, you have made my Thursday evening bright and beautiful with your delightful comment in glorious words I will treasure always. I’m overjoyed you liked my owl line. I had a little trouble with getting the right words for that. Owls aren’t synonymous with love, but I love them and wanted one to make its presence known in my poem. The fact that my little hooting hero has lit up the poem for you is wonderful news. Yael, you have made all my efforts sweating the barn owl stuff worthwhile. Thank you very much indeed! Reply
Joshua C. Frank February 15, 2024 My favorite of these is “A Monosyllabic, Monorhyme, Valentine Villanelle.” Not only does it have the usual internal rhyme and alliteration, but this one has lots of rich rhymes (where rhyming words share the same consonant before the rhyming vowel, such as no/know/snow, blow/flow/slow/glow, fro/grow), as is customary in French poetry (where poets aim for rich rhymes such as these as much as possible). I also like the idea of making the two rhymes of a villanelle as one. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 15, 2024 Josh, I’m so pleased you like my villanelle. It was a technical challenge and I thoroughly appreciate your knowledge of the French language and French forms – an asset when it comes to recognizing and explaining (so clearly and beautifully) details often overlooked. I love the musicality of the French forms… rich rhymes go a long way to achieving that effect. I am thrilled you spotted the intricacies of this poem and thank you very much for your encouraging and enlightening comment. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant February 16, 2024 Sally, you are most welcome, and thank you very much indeed, my friend. Reply
