Underneath it All

The Poem

Forget the heavy woes you’ve buried deep—
They’ll burden you ’til wrinkled hurts are wrought.
Your life is yours, not mine, to love and keep.

The time before we met, your thighs were cheap;
your playful lips all the neighborhood had bought.
Forget the heavy woes you’ve buried deep.

When you found me, you cried like a lost sheep.
Before I died, my smile was all you sought.
Your life is yours, not mine, to love and keep.

We set to wed, but still you went to weep,
I’d sigh and say that in your past you’re caught;
Forget the heavy woes you’ve buried deep.

Please, listen now, my order may be steep,
For all you’ve learned, may you still be taught:
Your life is yours, not mine, to love and keep.

So as you tuck my casket in to sleep,
Please, turn away and leave me in my plot.
Forget the heavy woes you’ve buried deep,
Your life is yours, not mine, to love and keep.

Commentary

I had tried to write villanelles multiple times, and they are absolutely tricky. This is the time I finally succeeded. It's not my favorite piece, but I think it's okay and I'm willing to share.