Los Locos

This is a Villianelle - been a long time since Creative Writing class

The vengeful sandman takes his fare from sleep

the pills and endless talk to make them sane,

no light will reach the depths that they must keep.

 

And we know, we who move about the street

the sandman's just the calming song of rain,

the vengeful sandman takes his fare from sleep.

 

But Santa's real till lies...by age..are beat

so who is real?  The Doc who shrinks their brains?

No light will reach the depths that they must keep.

 

We rage our pagan rites in darkness leap

ambition, war, the maps our blood does stain,

the vengeful sandman takes his fare from sleep.

 

Behind barred windows, dreaming ever deep

to live, to let the sun shine o'er their face,

no light can reach the depths their hearts must keep.

 

We kill each other, lie and hate and cheat

so who belongs in rubber rooms and chains?

We pay the fare in guilt--but we can't sleep,

No light will reach the depths that we must keep.

Author's Note

Constructive criticism greatly appreciated!

Reviews

[Alexander W. Quinn]

Fantastic piece, and one that makes you think to boot! I like the repetition of the lines "No light will reach..." and "the vengeful sandman...". They help pull the story together. Fascinating and a wonderful read.