A/N: This is a departure from my usual narrative verse postings and is a bit of an experiment. I claim no expertise in poetry forms but have recently read "the making of a poem-a Norton Anthology" and Stephen Fry's "The Ode Less Travelled" and was inspired to have a go at some of the older, more formal poetic forms-some of which I had not heard of before. Constructive criticism and comment is very welcome:)
Holmes and companions do not belong to me.
A villanelle
Relates to events at Reichenbach so some spoilers.
POV of Watson.
Midnight Violin
As sleep deserts me, I'd give all I have to hear
The blissful sound of silence but, alas, instead
The sound of midnight violin plays loud and clear.
~o~
I'm used to waking up from nightmare scenes in fear.
I see those comrades; silenced by the war, long dead,
As sleep deserts me, I'd give all I have to hear.
~o~
Each day of fighting pain and sickness lasts a year;
But as I tumble, drained and weary, into bed;
The sound of midnight violin plays loud and clear.
~o~
The sound of quiet footsteps tells me Mary's near.
I smile, and listen for the brisker, firmer tread;
As sleep deserts me, I'd give all I have to hear.
~o~
I think about that friendship which I held so dear.
As I replay those final hours inside my head,
The sound of midnight violin plays loud and clear.
~o~
I still expect my friend to simply reappear
And chase away all sorrow and regret and dread.
As sleep deserts me, I'd give all I have to hear
The sound of midnight violin played loud and clear.
~o~
End
a/n2: following a query from mam'zelle, I thought I would explain the structure, for those unfamiliar with this form-as I was a few months ago. A villanelle (French, with earlier Italian origins) has 6 verses, five with 3 lines, one with 4. Lines 1 and 3 rhyme all the way through, and lines 2 all rhyme with each other. The first verse lines 1 and 3 are repeated alternately at the end of the 2nd to 5th verses and both of these lines end the poem:)