The villanelle is a nineteen-line poem with two repeating rhymes and two refrains. It is made up of five tercets and a quatrain. The rhyme scheme is aba aba aba aba aba abaa. The 1st and 3rd lines from the first stanza are alternately repeated so that the 1st line becomes the last line in the second stanza, and the 3rd line becomes the last line in the third stanza and so on. The last two lines of the poem are lines 1 and 3 respectively.
As much as I love winter, I tend to get the blues from December through February. I started thinking about the coming season, the snow projections (more than usual for VA), the prospect of indoor recess, the early placement of Christmas items (before Halloween!), and a number of other ideas. Once I started writing, I realized I'd chosen an odd end word for the "a" rhyme, which made choosing words a bit challenging, but the poem finally came together. Here's what I came up with.
December's Discontent
December’s onset brings a discontent
a case of blues that lingers into spring
when winter’s snow and chill will not relent
Short days a coda to the heart’s lament
it’s fall’s crisp days to which we madly cling
when December brings a discontent
As autumn turns to winter we resent
the doldrums of the months that clip our wings
when winter’s snow and chill will not relent
The house is bleak, the family in dissent
for cabin fever leads to arguing
December’s onset brings a discontent
Time outdoors brings nothing but torment
as ice and wind assault the cheeks and sting
when winter’s snow and chill will not relent
But we'll hunker by the fire, breathe in its scent
and dream of early thaw and blossoms crowning
December’s onset brings a discontent
when winter’s snow and chill will not relent
Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2019. All rights reserved.a case of blues that lingers into spring
when winter’s snow and chill will not relent
Short days a coda to the heart’s lament
it’s fall’s crisp days to which we madly cling
when December brings a discontent
As autumn turns to winter we resent
the doldrums of the months that clip our wings
when winter’s snow and chill will not relent
The house is bleak, the family in dissent
for cabin fever leads to arguing
December’s onset brings a discontent
Time outdoors brings nothing but torment
as ice and wind assault the cheeks and sting
when winter’s snow and chill will not relent
But we'll hunker by the fire, breathe in its scent
and dream of early thaw and blossoms crowning
December’s onset brings a discontent
when winter’s snow and chill will not relent
You can read the poems written by my poetry sisters at the links below. Kelly and Andi are both on the mend, so we'll welcome their return when they're both feeling better.
- Tanita Davis
- Sara Lewis Holmes
- Rebecca Holmes
- Laura Purdie Salas
- Liz Garton Scanlon