If Only

Day Five of NaPoWriMo. Lots of choices for the prompt today. I chose to write a villanelle, which is defined as such:

The classic villanelle has five three-line stanzas followed by a final, four-line stanza. The first and third lines of the first stanza alternately repeat as the last lines of the following three-line stanzas, before being used as the last two lines of the final quatrain.

Clear as mud? I thought so, too. But I gave it a go anyway.

woods1

If Only

If we only had the time –
just imagine if you would –
all the mountains we could climb.

Wouldn’t it be fine?
Leisured strolls in shaded woods
if we only had the time?

If we let the years unwind,
wove the hard times with the good,
all the mountains we could climb.

We’d pick peaches in their prime,
dine beneath the cottonwoods
if we only had the time.

If we heard the clock bells chime,
left our worries where they stood,
all the mountains we could climb!

How might our futures be defined
if we only understood?
If we only had the time,
all the mountains we could climb.


Also posting on dVerse, where the poem form for the month is the villanelle. 

About Maggie C

Stained glass artist, writer, respecter of life.
This entry was posted in daily prompt, humanity, nature, poetry and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

17 Responses to If Only

  1. Peggy Lemmer says:

    You cleared that up! Another very nice one. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Oloriel says:

    I often find myself fantasizing I had more time and funds to travel more and experience more of Nature. Nice poem!

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Beautiful. As if hopping from peak to peak.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. You seem to have understood the form perfectly! This is lovely, very evocative – and a common complaint in our time-poor era.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Frank Hubeny says:

    Nice lines: “How might our futures be defined
    if we only understood?”

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Your words are a great encouragement to make time. The dreams we could conquer if we chose to do so.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Truedessa says:

    If we only had the time, I think sometimes we need to take the time to climb…as one never knows when time will end. A wonderful job with the form.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. What a lovely couplet to base a villanelle on. There’s something wistful about this poem, for me – a reminder to make time for those truly important things. Thank you for sharing this.

    Liked by 1 person

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