When I prepared to quit, the choir was almost
Left with an all-female ensemble. Finally,
After one-hundred-and-one conversations
And considerations, not short of reservations,
With the man himself approached us to entreat
The vacancy, it seemed too comfortably viable.
No doubt, Andreas made himself a justifiable
Replacement: His bright, magnetic voice, which almost
Topped at B-flat, was a sweet, solid treat
To the ears, classic like a vinyl disc.
Still, I felt a strange, unspoken reservation,
Especially when we’re in conversation.
Albeit barely friends, our conversations
Often got muddled, in manners nearly unviable,
By strange mentions of his divorce and depression—
As though his greatest achievements. I almost
Fell for his stories, until one day, finally,
I knew, my trust for him I must retreat,
When the drop-dead charmer decided to treat
Charlotte, my friend, after a flirty invitation,
To a movie and a romantic candlelit—
And reran the same with Roselyn soon enough. His pliable
Affection hopped from one girl to the other almost
Without a trace of moral preservation.
Though our frowns were far from deprivation,
The shameless Andreas continued to mistreat
And toy with poor Charlotte and Roselyn, who almost
Headed for direct confrontation
Over the shambles that neither one was liable,
When the cheater emerged spinelessly,
Hand in hand with a lass in sheer virginal bliss.
Andreas wasn’t bothered with mental reservation
To present his new captive. With unjustifiable
Pride, his wedding with the lass went down a treat
And, for a while, found its way to many conversations.
The marriage lasted a year … almost.
Oh, why, Andreas? I wonder! Is it viable to treat
Love as recreation and each girl a comfort station?
Is it true, finally, you’re in love again … or almost?
Colin Lee
Upon Bjorn’s friendly yet unswerving encouragement to try out a sestina, I snatched the latest six daily prompts as end words (I do love me a challenge, don’t I?) and scribbled a rather trivial piece that’s loosely based on a real-life scenario. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Photo Courtesy: medium.com
There might be movie rights in this…
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Who knows? “Andreas” is not unacquainted with dramas (and the celebrities making dramas) in real life. A peculiar bunch of international elites and rich kids they are.
Btw, Jilly, in case you’re wondering, I’ll have to catch up on some housekeeping before CNY, and possibly be returning to a non-poetic project on the side as well; chances are you’ll “see” me less frequently in the coming month until my holiday. I won’t declare it a hiatus, in case I still have a poem or two to offer. And I’ve already begun to miss you, my friend. 😉
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You are missed when you are away, but never far. 🙂
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Oh, and Happy New Year! May all of your projects bring prosperity and joy to you and your family!
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Thank you so much, Jilly! Got a tough challenge this week already. Need this blessings right away!
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You have some poet friends who are with you in thoughts during every challenge you encounter! A friend of mine used to say, “Keep your eyes on the horizon, that is your point of reference.” It always helps to have that point of reference.
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Speaking of which, I should have my eyesight checked again. Lol Thank you, Jilly!
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The sestina is one of my favorite forms to challenge myself with, though your choice of words had such a heft to them. When I choose them, I like to have some that might relate to one another and I enjoy doing it in iambic pentameter so I have to choose the syllables carefully. Quite a drama–hoping it’s not THE Andreas if it’s true.
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Sorry for the late response. I agree with you, Victoria. This is rather experimental and somewhat subpar (and rushed — busy, busy me!). Next time I won’t be horsing around with daily prompts before getting the basics right. You might find the tetratina I did last month far superior in poetic quality:
https://pescetarianpoet.wordpress.com/2017/12/22/solstice-night/
As for “Andreas”, he’s a spoiled rich kid in Hong Kong you wouldn’t know. 😉
Thank you for reading.
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As someone who can’t write a sestina to save my life, I always give props to those who not only try this form but write it well. Thanks for sharing.
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What a gracious compliment … which, to be fair, this silly scribble doesn’t quite deserve. But, thank you nonetheless, kind lady. 🙂
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Your poems are never a one-time-only read. I’ll be back to reconsider this.
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Thank you, sir!
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You are welcome!
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Though this experimental piece, I should say, is a bit weak for reconsideration. Ha!
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You do humble well! 🙂 It’s not as weak as you think.
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I have to say you did rise to the challenge… what a challenging set of words you did choose… Myself I have limited myself to words with double meanings to create more options… (like fair)…Hmm need to try one again soon
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Thank you for the tips, sir. Shall eagerly await the birth of yet another one of your masterpieces. 🙂
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That is some love adventure or misadventures ~ Enjoyed the form as well ( so challenging to write) ~ Kudos for the amazing share ~
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Thank you, Grace!
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I liked this description: “mentions of his divorce and depression—
As though his greatest achievements” and a girl as a “comfort station”. People like Andreas can do a lot of damage, but one can always move past them.
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Thank you, Frank. Thankfully, the “comfort station” was quite a passable replacement of “conversation” — a bit of hair pulling for that one.
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