Villanelles for Falun Gong Practitioners Persecuted in China, Part I
By Evan Mantyk On October 31, 2012 @ 1:31 pm In Literary & Visual Arts | No Comments
"Calling for Justice" by Xiqiang Dong. (falunart.org)
The villanelle is a form of highly structured poetry with origins dating back to 16th century France, though some place it earlier. I have used this form here to depict the persecution of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) practitioners in modern China.
Stress and health problems clear like morning mist,
The bright sun battles a history dark.
With innate discipline, she dives and twists,
Tranquilly, she sits in a Beijing park
The early shadows stretch out long and stark,
The night’s fingers refusing to desist,
The bright sun battles a history dark.
Above the bird, towers the sky’s vast arc,
Gods peer down, not a moment to be missed,
Tranquilly, she sits in a Beijing park.
Darkness falls on the flag of communists,
The bright sun battles a history dark.
How does a raging fire start from a spark?
The storm’s first drop falls on her folded wrist,
Tranquilly, she sits in a Beijing park,
The bright sun battles a history dark.
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