Edward Robson, PhD, MFA
1 min readAug 11, 2020

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This is a lovely poem, Xiomara, very expressive. The refrain reminds me of Neruda's "On this night I can write the saddest lines." I also appreciate the allusion to Sophocles, who spoke so eloquently regarding grief and pain.

My only question is, why do you call it a villanelle? I have written a few of those--definitely a challenging form, with strict rules regarding meter, rhyme scheme, and repeated lines. (For a famous example, see "Do not go gentle into that good night" by Dylan Thomas.)

That's not a criticism, though. There's nothing easy about composing good free verse.

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Edward Robson, PhD, MFA
Edward Robson, PhD, MFA

Written by Edward Robson, PhD, MFA

Former psychologist, wordsmith, teacher, learner. Top writer in feminism, relationships, poetry, and other topics. ECRobson@gmail.com

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