literature

Mirror, Mirror

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Itti's avatar
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Literature Text

I check the mirror, check and check again.
Inattention could result in doom -
Not knowing would be stupid and insane.

Beauty is my goal; its price is pain.
I wash and primp and preen, and in my room
I check the mirror, check and check again.

Some say ambitious; others whisper 'vain'.
Obsession grows and stifles like the womb -
Not knowing would be stupid and insane.

Evening's advent brings the hiss of rain.
Hunched by the glass, in gathering gloom
I check the mirror, check and check again.

Enough warning, and the fairest I'll remain
(The threats, they shall fall silent to the tomb) -
Not knowing would be stupid and insane.

If some bitch should undermine my reign
To seek attention - it will be her doom.
I check the mirror, check and check again:
Not knowing would be stupid and insane.
For =PoetryPlease's villanelles contest. As some of you know, I have a soft spot for villanelles. They were my category in the Spring Cleaning miscat reporting last spring and I really started to like the form - and to develop a certain admiration for those who can write a good one, having tried it myself 5-6 years ago and not been particularly successful.

Well anyway, I saw =PoetryPlease's contest and I figured I really had to have another attempt at it. I mean, I know the form inside out - there's no excuse, right? So I did and I enjoyed it and I don't think the result's bad at all.

So, besides being about villanelles, what was the contest?
Well, they called it the Villainous Villanelle contest and the short version is that you had to write a villanelle from the point of view of a villain in a fairytale. (The long version can be found here.)

Why did I choose this particular villain(ess ;))? Well, obviously you can't have all that repetition without a reason or it's just being repeated for the sake of it. Repetition is great at showing obsession, so I tried to think of obsessive villains. The queen from Snow White IMMEDIATELY sprang to mind! (Who's the fairest? Is it me? Who's the fairest now? Still me? What about now?!) I tried for a little while to think of other villains to give them a chance, but she was the best fit (Hook also a viable contender, but not quite so good).

Anyway, if you read all that well done. =p

Much love and thanks to ~SerendipitousQuirk for helping me out with a couple of parts I was unsure about. :love:

P.S. Oh, and for those of you that don't know, here's Wikipedia on villanelles.


Update: I got second place! :wow: There were some really strong entries so I am very happy with that. You can see the winners here and read all the entries here.






You can see more of my literature here.
© 2008 - 2024 Itti
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jesusroxgirl's avatar
ugh, mirrors...... they are both a curse and a blessing ^^;