The Villanelle: "Movie of Society"

 Before I go and make this about me, here is a timeless poem that'll surely introduce you to this week's victor. 

So, what do you know about Villanelles? 

    The French verse form called the villanelle is the strictest and most complicated I've explored so far. It consists of nineteen lines, in the form of five tercets (three-line stanzas) and a closing quatrain (four-line stanza). There is a specific rhyme scheme with the tercets following ABA, while the quatrain appears as ABAA. The first line repeats in lines 6, 12, and 18, while the third line repeats in lines 9, 15, and 19. These two refrain lines form the final couplet in the quatrain. 

Here are resources I found as I was looking for more information on villanelle poems:

Art In Context: What Is a Villanelle Poem?

Villanelle by the Poetry Foundation

"One Art" by Elizabeth Bishop

    When it came down to drafting a villanelle of my own, I had already decided on the topic. However, before I could begin writing, I wanted to try something new. 

I was discussing AI generators with a friend the other day because of ChatGPT and other computer programs' recent influences on education. I noticed how prevalent artificial intelligence has become - even Canva, a program that was only used for designing posters and documents, has included a "Magic Write" function. 

... Epiphany!

What if I compare an AI-generated villanelle with one that I write completely? 

    So, I searched for "villanelle poem maker" and clicked on the first site I saw. "Poem Generator." That was it. I was sold. The site was unbelievably simple, and after responding to the questions, it generated a villanelle for me immediately. 


Oh no, what kind of villanelle is this gonna create?

The poem was ridiculous. 

Actually, I don't even want to show you until you've seen mine first. You'll probably like the AI-generated one more. 


"Movie of Society" by Justine David

Until you've seen the horrors on the screen, 

with their dresses and shiny hair, just toys so still 

things don't mean what they really mean. 


It's not just silence that sets the scene, 

But the victim's winded breaths and cries will

Until you've seen the horrors on the screen.


There is no Happy Ever After or a Queen 

because she is a damsel with no skill;

things don't mean what they really mean. 


Tug of War, and children falling on green 

then knotted ropes on trees and the deep red spill 

until you've seen the horrors on the screen. 


Curing crazy and making the mind clean, 

only to fill it with pictures of ill will 

things don't mean what they really mean. 


So, go back to life and its twisted routine 

then turn to the box and scream for its next kill 

until you've seen the horrors on the screen, 

things don't mean what they really mean. 


    Writing this villanelle was a challenge. I didn't expect the rhyme scheme to block every single idea I had. It also pushed my grammar limits and forced me to loosen up. I also needed to search for rhyming words just because it was so hard to pick the best words. Not to mention, this poem had to follow the topic, or else... it would just be nonsense. 

What does it mean?

    I wanted to express this comparison between film and life. I was really inspired by 'horror movies' because I was watching them last weekend. I thought, "Real life is scarier." I had all sorts of questions in my mind. There are so many narratives from movies and media. I don't have much to say. I tried following one theme consistently. I would probably go back and improve the flow so that there's more of a linear story rather than related but separate images in each stanza. 

Feel free to make your own observations. I enjoy annotating and dissecting other people's poems so to have others share their opinions of mine is an honor. 


Are you ready for the AI-generated villanelle? 

"The Torment"


... Baffled. Let me know what you think about this poem!


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