My daughter’s writing challenge from school was to write a poem where the first word was Hello. I figured it might be fun to do this myself while she was doing it. So I wrote a villanelle inspired by both the challenge and by our current situation of keeping our social distance.

This is a short poem about not being able to see the people that you love. Although I am in the house with the people that I love, I just felt it made the poem work better if the stanzas alternated like a conversation between people that were separated lovers. When reading it imagine each stanza being an exchange between two characters. The first two as a pair, then alternate until the last two are paired.

No matter how much you miss people, follow the government advice for Covid-19 and stay home.

Hello, Hullo, Hallo

Hello, hullo, hallo, hey you!
The weather and we are fine,
Keep well back, stay away.

Without you my heart is grey,
Let’s get a glass of wine.
Hello, hullo, hallo, hey you!

Now is not a good time to play
Outside. We cannot combine.
Keep well back, stay away.

We need to find a safer way,
For your presence I do pine.
Hello, hullo, hallo, hey you!

Listen closely when I say
You must keep in quarantine.
Keep well back, stay away.

If in isolation we do stay
One day we’ll have wine.
Hello, hullo, hallo, hey you!
Keep well back, stay away!

More Poetry?

If you liked that you might want to read some more of my poetry.

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