Lol. I’m starting to think these freaking fortune cookies are trying to tell me something. And unfortunately for them, I’m not in the mood to write love poetry.
Still, when I got this one, “Love makes the world shine”, I thought, well hell. Maybe I should try a villanelle. (Yes, I rhyme in my thoughts.)
Villanelles were originally meant to be love songs. The form definitely lends itself to that. So I gave it a try. My original thought was an astronaut floating in space looking down at the bright sparkling lights of the cities and towns with affection. However, my brain immediately asked me why he was out there? And this is what I got.
It’s been a while since I wrote a villanelle, and this one was literally finished about five minutes before I wrote this. Still, it’s not awful.
Enjoy!
Love Lights Up the World
By Michelle Garren-Flye
Floating in space, feeling fine,
beauty below fills you with pride;
what makes the world shine?
Golden lights that’ll make you pine
for all you’ve ever been denied—
but you’re out in space, feeling fine.
Surely such beauty is benign
and should not be denied.
It’s what makes the world shine.
Mysterious glow sends a sign
that will not ever be denied
even out here in space, feeling fine.
The stars themselves must align
to serve as such a bright guide,
and that’s what makes the world shine.
Escape the tendrils meant to entwine—
be careful you do not collide!
Safe now, floating in space, feeling fine.
You just couldn’t be part of that design
no matter how much you have tried.
Love is what makes the world shine,
but you’re floating in space, feeling fine.
BREATHE: Michelle Garren-Flye 