Would it Kill You?

Tags

Canadian poet, Elaine Stirling, Medieval form poetry, ringelreim, rondeau

~~a ringelreim~~

Would it kill you to say something nice?
Lean closer to sweetness than spice?
Since I know your full spectrum from meh through to hate,
I doubt, though I’d love, a good reason to wait
for a positive roll from your dice.

I have seen you relax once or twice,
though it seems to exact quite a price
to let up on fate. Would it kill you?

From me, you should not take advice.
I do not hold the knife that determines the slice
of the pie that you fear has already been ate,
but I do, as you see, have the power to grate,
to be cheesy, for once, would it kill you?

~~~

Author’s note: Ringelreims, a form of rondeau, have a tight rhyme scheme with the addition of a refrain, repeated three times. In this instance, the refrain, of course, is “would it kill you?”. That’s the serious poet’s explanation. My explanation for writing a ringelreim is that skipping down a sidewalk, as an adult, is frowned upon by the very grumps one is trying to escape. Ringelreims are the second best option.

© Elaine Stirling, 2017

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