Hi Laurie - having read your villanelle, I thought you might be distinctly disinterested to hear that I'm attempting much the same thing (on another site) - trying to write in different forms, after a few years of free verse stuff (punctuated by the occasional limerick/senryu etc.) So far, I've bluffed my way through sonnet (Shakespearean & Spenserian), villanelle, rondeau, rictameter & tetractys. Next up, hopefully, the madrigal, though I find forms involving refrains and rentrements hard to implement convincingly - repetition is not something I'm well adapted for [did I say that already?], though I'm hopelessly (& paradoxically) obsessive :> I enjoyed your 'villanelle' adventure - ideal subject matter, and a rhyming scheme that avoided the dreaded 'contrived' attribution. However, (I hope you don't mind me commenting on this - even if you do, I guess it's too late anyway :) I wondered about your intentions as far as meter is concerned. Most English language 'form' stuff is written in iambic verse, and though 'Villanellous' appears to comprise (predominantly) iambic tetrameter, there seems to be some inconsistency - for example, S2 appears to scan as follows (assuming lines of 4 feet): I distrust flowers, poems and such. iamb/spondee/iamb/anapest (9 syllables) Quick-blooming ardors too soon attach pyrrhus/iamb/spondee/anapest (9syllables) so love I never asked for much. iamb/iamb/iamb/iamb (8 syllables) Was that deliberate? (to avoid the typical 'sing-song' iambic rhythm) - or is that just me being too fastidious (a pain in the ass), especially as it's your first attempt at 'form' writing :> I should probably go away and concentrate on picking my own feet - anyway I hope it goes well for you, this daunting regime you've taken on...I have nothing but admiration for people who attempt this stuff. Self-discipline reduces me to tears :>