There's no one here in whom you can confide.
Be careful, frightened one, with whom you share,
Emotions are the hardest things to hide,
Because you know he's cheated and he's lied.
And when you settle to lay it all bare,
There's no one here in whom you can confide.
And he'll be drifting to you. In the tide
His grisly arms will catch you in their snare.
Emotions are the hardest things to hide.
And you will someday be a haunted bride,
So saddle up and fall into his care.
There's no one here in whom you can confide.
It's not easy though I know you've tried
To split your mind and from your feeling tear.
Emotions are the hardest things to hide,
Your feelings may be hard to set aside.
And though you want to kick your legs and swear
There's no one here in whom you can confide.
Emotions are the hardest things to hide.
I loved reading this poem just as much as I did the first time. The villanelle really lends itself to the theme of your poem; the idea of this woman stuck in a loveless marriage fits with the rigidity of the fixed form. Yet in spite of such an unfamiliar subject, I think that the lines you chose to repeat speak to the feelings of loneliness we all experience.
ReplyDeleteThis really brings to mind the isolation of arranged marriage. The villanelle form works because, well, your former life kind of dies at that sort of wedding, and this is is your mourning for it, no?
ReplyDeleteI can picture the speaker as both a girl, fresh faced and frightened, and an aged woman who must bear the weight of her life, and all the fear and loneliness of not having a confidant or a safe space.
Great word choice, especially for your villanelle-rhymey words. Awesome.
The title of this frames it in a historical context. I agree with Sydney and Emma about the form. It is perfect for this subject. And you restrain the language just enough to have impact.
ReplyDeleteI love the refrain: "Emotions are the hardest things to hide."