[Alex Pepple]

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Buying Sneakers

The designer’s iconic plaid on this canvas high top lace-up
sneaker ($275) is hand sprayed to give it a slight degradé effect.
                    (Advertisement in the New York Times)

The look I want is slightly dégradé;
aloof and elegant, yet with a flair
that hints of darkness in an offhand way;

exquisite, yes, but not too recherché,
and at the same time, more than ordinaire.
That look! I want it slightly dégradé,

just right to make the scene in St. Tropez,
or stir up gossip of an old affaire
with hints of darkness and the offhand way

that one once murmured, je suis désolée,
and left a lover twisting in the air.
The look is wan, and jeune, and dégradé.

Now that my Nikes have become passé
I need a soupçon of aggrieved despair
that hints of darkness in an offhand way,

so show me something that is distingué,
that cries regardez-moi, and makes you dare
to look. And want me slightly dégradé!
I hint at darkness in an offhand way.

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_______The plain vanilla repeat below is for those with clunky old browsers _______

Buying Sneakers

The designer’s iconic plaid on this canvas high top lace-up
sneaker ($275) is hand sprayed to give it a slight degradé effect.
                    (Advertisement in the New York Times)

The look I want is slightly dégradé;
aloof and elegant, yet with a flair
that hints of darkness in an offhand way;

exquisite, yes, but not too recherché,
and at the same time, more than ordinaire.
That look! I want it slightly dégradé,

just right to make the scene in St. Tropez,
or stir up gossip of an old affaire
with hints of darkness and the offhand way

that one once murmured, je suis désolée,
and left a lover twisting in the air.
The look is wan, and jeune, and dégradé.

Now that my Nikes have become passé
I need a soupçon of aggrieved despair
that hints of darkness in an offhand way,

so show me something that is distingué,
that cries regardez-moi, and makes you dare
to look. And want me slightly dégradé!
I hint at darkness in an offhand way.

[Alex Pepple]

This is almost a found poem, launched by a dégradé sneaker want-ad. Note to the poet that the first ‘e’ of dégradé in the accent aigu – which might be deliberate and as reproduced from the ad. In any event, I’d advice that it’s better to spell it correctly to allow readers to get on with the poem without the distraction of questioning whether it’s a typo or not.

The villanelle form is also well realized, with occasional variations in the repetends. The poet manages to cleverly rhyme with mostly French words to make its point on style and its transience, adding to the light fun.

[John Beaton]

There's technical skill here and, of its ilk, it succeeds. But its content is too slight for it to be my idea of a cream-of-the-crop poem.

John

[Tim Murphy]

Well I love it, and the voice is unmistakable!

[Roger Slater]

I love it, too, and don't find the content too slight. The "content" is the tone of voice and the social satire and the characterization, etc.

[Petra Norr]

I like the enthusiasm in it.
For me, though, the stanzas are a little too repetitive, the villenelle falling into the same quickmire as many others, bogging down and leading nowhere it hasn't been before.

[Catharine Savage Brosman]

and that the ad is genuine.

[Readers: this was the end of a sentence from a previous comment, which evaporated somehow. Please ignore this; I shall start over.]

[Catherine Chandler]

I remember this one very well! If I remember correctly, when it was workshopped I pointed out several instances of bad French, but then realized that it was intentional. That makes sense. I would have liked to see a little purse-dog in there somewhere, a little woof-ette Enjoyed!

[Catharine Savage Brosman]

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This light poem in villanelle form is a delightful poetic "essay" on a contemporary topic, not without cultural import. The use of French for numerous rhymes is justified by the French term in the advertisement. The word is misspelled there; I take that to be an error of the ad copywriter, to be expected when French terms are used by ignorant Americans. The poem evokes humorously and skillfully the contrast between the implied style and prestige of French couture (in its classic developments) and the new style of "degraded" clothing and degraded buyers. Very well done.

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[Tim Murphy]

As much as I admire "Little," this might get my vote. And it would do so because the author's voice is so instantly recognizable. I'm passionately interested in voice, not least because mine is pretty recognizable. Of course who else write about the Dakotas?