Those Ever-Loving Windmills

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Canadian poet, Elaine Stirling, medieval French fixed verse, social media, villanelle

~~a villanelle~~

Tilting windmills on a sunny day
with rusty swords till something breaks
seems to me a waste of play.

The cranky knight must have his way
to soothe, I suppose, his chronic aches,
tilting windmills on a sunny day.

I’m trying hard to look away,
ignore the hissy fits and fakes.
Seems to me a waste of play

to criticize. I will not sway
them anyway, for heaven’s sake!
Tilting windmills on a sunny day

reduces me, turns skies to gray.
Contempt is such a bitter cake,
seems to me a waste of play,

though who am I to judge you? Hey,
your years of practice, perfect makes!
Tilting windmills on a sunny day
seems to me a waste of play.

Thank you, Miguel de Cervantes, for the analogy that never grows old.

© Elaine Stirling, 2017

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Strombolian Etude

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Canadian poet, Elaine Stirling, Malaysian form poetry, pantoum, Strombolian eruptions

~~a pantoum~~

I offer hail to Strombolian eruptions,
little stones that break no bones
making light of your incandescent cinders
split apart on tindered fields.

Little stones that break no bones,
oh, lapilli, when did I stop believing?
Split apart on tindered fields
I burn and sputter, no relief.

Oh, lapilli, when did I stop believing
in non-violent sporadic joy?
I burn and sputter, no relief
belching memes like lava bombs.

In non-violent sporadic joy,
making light of your incandescent cinders,
belching memes like lava bombs,
I offer hail to Strombolian eruptions!

~~~

Author’s note: Strombolian eruption refers to volcanic activity that is mildly explosive, sporadic, and fairly safe to observe. Lapilli, Latin for little stones, are shot into the air, along with other bits and pieces mentioned in this pantoum. The term comes from the volcanic island of Stromboli off the coast of Sicily.

© Elaine Stirling, 2017
Photographer, unknown

Poem on a napkin, on the beach…