Love Affairs: A Villanelle by Paul Van Peenen

Love Affairs: A Villanelle

Who among us would choose to weep?
But isn’t that precisely what we choose?
These couplings almost always end in grief.

We don’t just fall in love, we leap.
We lose our minds, our shirts, our shoes.
Who among us would choose to weep?

Blind to a fault, we’re bold as thieves.
Endorphins obfuscate, confuse.
These couplings almost always end in grief.

The cliché holds: what you sow, you reap
And like aging fruit we bruise.
Who among us would choose to weep?

Our hearts go south, we lose belief.
We repeat our vows but it’s just a ruse.
These couplings almost always end in grief.

We wipe our noses on dirty sleeves,
Blubber how we were born to lose.
Who among us would choose to weep?
These couplings almost always end in grief.

by Paul Van Peenen

Editor’s Note: The repetition of this villanelle lends itself beautifully to the question of insanity—why would anyone choose a love affair? The answer lies within the lines.

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