Form Friday: Villanelle

The great dog Copper battles for his prey—
His growl is fierce, he’ll win this fight—
All must surrender to his sway.

He corrals his foe, holds it at bay;
I try to retrieve it with will and might.
The great dog Copper battles for his prey.

I grip the prey, but Copper’s away
With foe grasped firmly in his bite;
All must surrender to his sway.

At last I have hold and make headway,
And Copper tugs with ferocious delight—
The great dog Copper battles for his prey.

It’s impossible to avoid this fray
For Copper’s tail wags, his eyes are bright;
All must surrender to his sway.

The truth of his size never causes dismay;
He’s not concerned with his meager height—
The great dog Copper battles for his prey,
All must surrender to his sway.

I wrote this for Form Friday, November 11, and the choice was between a Sestina and a Villanelle. I chose the less daunting–the Villanelle . If you’d like to know what a Sestina looks like, check out this description: https://www.writersdigest.com/…/sestina-6×6339-thats-math. You can also find out about the Villanelle through that site. A classic example of a Villanelle is Dylan Thomas’s “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.”