Rentrement of Compulsion

by L. W. Lindquist

I must—yea, compelled!—to write a rondeau

McCrae watched fields of poppies blow

I need lines worthy of a troubadour

To close forever Sandburg’s open door

Or make slivers of Williams’ wheelbarrow

It’s harder to write haiku like Bashō

Sexton could just get a boat and row,

Pretend to be Frost, go from oar to oar

I must—yea, compelled—

I have to make the right lines rhyme now

So from them all I’ve had to borrow

Can Williams double up and write La Flor?

Orrun to the corner poetry store

Yet still I must make a very good show

I must—yea, compelled!

This rondeau is from a 23 June 2016 Tweetspeak blog post by Will Willingham, but the poem (and the infographic it appeared in) is by L. W. Lindquist.