A-Z: Your Sweet Summer

This is a villanelle I wrote either in high school or college. Even back then I was fond of semicolons. You can find this and some of my other poems here.


Your Sweet Summer

The sun has set too often in the sky
And banished now the days of burnished gold;
My love, even the sweet summer must die.

Once, passion burned me fiercer than July;
Beloved, your lack of heat left me cold.
The sun has set too often in the sky.

Having learned that my love was based on a lie
Has destroyed the small hope I tried to hold.
My love, even the sweet summer must die.

Heartbroken so long, without tears to cry
Out my pain, I cannot be brave and bold.
The sun has set too often in the sky.

To your cruel flirtations I cannot reply;
My rejected love was too often told,
“My love, even the sweet summer must die.”

Understand this, then, when too late you try
To win me back; I’m past those days of old.
Your sun has set too often in my sky;
My love, even your sweet summer must die.