Love and Hate

There is little room in our world for hate 
Life is short, so we have no time to lose 
Malice within our heart hangs like a weight

We can be the masters of our own fate
When between love and hate we have to choose
There is little room in this world for hate 

Our own self is burnt when we feel irate

at the expression of another's views

Malice within our heart hangs like a weight

When we refuse to contact and relate
we resort to exclusion and abuse

There is little room in this world for hate

The world in turmoil, see its sorry state 

our anger rises as we watch the news

Malice within our heart hangs like a weight

Dark execration will our fears gestate

as from our soul the light will slowly ooze
There is little room in this world for hate 
Malice within our heart hangs like a weight

(c) Tim Fellows 2018

This is my attempt at a villanelle - a villanelle has a very rigid structure with iambic pentameter throughout and only two rhymes. the first and third lines repeat regularly throughout the poem. Probably the most famous villanelle is "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas which I have included to show how it should be done.

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieve it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.