Villanelle for Times of Overwhelm by Tracy Rittmueller

Villanelle for Times of Overwhelm

First, sit down and breathe. Now peel
a crisp apple. Use your mother’s old
paring knife. Wonder why it appeals

to you when white flesh unveils
itself, how it manages to console,
reminds you of grandmother’s fairytales.

Remember you would sometimes kneel
with her to pick up fallen apples. She toiled.
You mostly daydreamed and cartwheeled.

Picking wildflowers, you squealed
when the calves approached, bold
enough to lick your palms. Laughter peals

through your memories. Delight seals
those days made of hundredfold
affections. Her presence was your shield.

Think of her unquestioning support as a field
alive with monarchs fluttering among gold
evening primrose and suddenly it’s easier. Peel
an apple to know— love is your prayer wheel.

by Tracy Rittmueller

Editor’s Note: The repetition in this poem is rooted in clear imagery which allows the emotional framework of the narrative to truly blossom.