Laestus

Villanelle III, June 22, 2005

The heady breeze of summer steals my grief
And makes me see the error of my ways.
The seasons turn, and so does a new leaf.

Mistakes of spring stand sharply in relief
But warmth and freedom combat my malaise
The heady breeze of summer steals my grief.

And in the west I see the sun’s motif
Apollo bathes the world in gentle rays—
The seasons turn, and so does a new leaf.

The night is warm, I sense in disbelief.
The stars peek past the curtain of the haze.
The heady breeze of summer steals my grief.

Sadness is stolen from me by a thief—
A villain who in fact deserves my praise.
The seasons turn, and so does a new leaf.

And even though the summertime is brief
I know I have the time to change clichés.
The heady breeze of summer steals my grief;
The seasons turn, and so does a new leaf.

Anyone who doesn't take Latin will undoubtedly not get the title -- and probably some of you who do take Latin will still not get it. Anyway, the title Laestus is a play on words -- a combination of the Latin for 'happy' ('laetus') and 'summer' ('aestus'). Thank you, thank you. Isn't it amazing that I can even create horrible puns in dead languages?