Melissa Balmain on the Rattle website
 

Melissa Balmain has a moving villanelle on the Rattle website today, as part of the Poets Respond series. Here's the link. Congrats, Melissa!

Melissa, I confess I was surprised to see a 'serious' poem, since I think of you as the mistress of light verse. Of course, I was silly to have pigeonholed you thus. :o Apologies. Turns out your serious poems are just as good as the funny ones!

Nausheen

Wonderful poem. Particulary effective use of the villanelle repetends in the way they come together for a different meaning/perspective in the final two lines.

Yet another lovely poem with a serious underpinning. Yes, it sure would be great if that impulse toward unity was a little less fleeting! Great poem, Melissa.

Nausheen, Bob, Ned: thanks so much! (And Nausheen, you're right that most of my poems tend toward humor, though of course light verse--such a problematic term!--can get at serious stuff when it wants to. In any case, you crack me up with "mistress of light verse." :) )

Wonderful villanelle, Melissa! I love the way the villanelle form itself always threatens to leave the poet stuck, and the way you escape those impasses. Cheers!

Susan

Brilliant use of the form, Melissa, for a serious reflection. Congratulations! Sadly for the short-lived 'impulse toward unity', it seems Elon Musk is doing his best to rain on the parade.

And thank you, Susan and Jerome! It means a lot to hear such things from you and the others on this page.

As for Musk, here's Faith Salie on the latest episode of "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me": "I don't mean to sound sexist. But is this not the most male thing ever, assuming your special submarine needs to be inserted in this cave?"

Hi Melissa,

I'm a big fan of yours :D and I'm a fan of villanelles too; this one's a cracker!

Well done, and congratulations!

Jayne

Hi Melissa,

What a lovely villanelle! I'm glad to see a worthy response in verse to that tremendous story, which moved me to tears as well.
I think Elon Musk is also a case of "When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail."

Cheers,
John

Many thanks, Jayne and John!
John, you pretty much nailed it. :)