Two Poems
Paul Burgess
The Devil’s Villanelle
They say the Devil wrote a villanelle
and reading it aloud unlocks a curse
releasing evils from the depths of Hell.
A mom who drowned her kids inside a well
was known to keep a copy in her purse.
They say the Devil wrote the villanelle,
which shady relic dealers chose to sell
although they knew the danger of the verse
releasing evils from the depths of Hell.
It brought a clinic underneath its spell,
and patients started leaving in a hearse.
“They say the Devil wrote this villanelle,”
Melinda purred and stopped a patient’s bell.
He writhed in terror as the grinning nurse—
releasing evils from the depths of Hell—
recited lines and made his vessels swell
with drugs no later efforts could reverse.
They say the Devil wrote this villanelle
releasing evils from the depths of Hell.
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Published in Star*Line, 2026
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Paul’s notes: “I’m so squeamish that I couldn’t even dissect a frog in school, and I’ve cried over squirrels getting run over by cars. However, I am a big fan of classic horror movies and value their ability to explore fears and anxieties from different angles, make viewers feel something intense, stimulate the imagination, and play with tonal ambiguity. This piece is, among other things, a modest attempt to blend two of my loves, formal poetry and classic horror movies, in a way that shows affection to both.
“This is one of only a handful of villanelles I’ve ever written, but I like how the form’s strategic repetition lends itself well to pieces about being trapped in cycles.”
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Trick-or-Treating at a Fashion Critic’s House
This hardly merits “something good to eat”.
Your fashion stinks. I needn’t “smell your feet”.
If judging by the costumes that you’ve picked,
I’d say your sense of style’s been cruelly tricked.
No candy goes to standard-looking brats
in fraying sheets or flimsy witches’ hats.
You’ve failed despite your safe and boring roles,
so don’t expect to touch my candy bowls.
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Paul’s notes: “I am, of course, not this poem’s speaker. Even if I were pretentious enough to ruin children’s fun with harsh aesthetic judgments, I’d have no room to talk in the realm of fashion; I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that the fashion police had a warrant for my arrest. Anyway, meeting someone like this critic sounds like a scary experience to me.
“The ‘smell your feet’ line alludes to the silly rhyme that kids often sing when trick-or-treating: ‘Trick-or-treat! Smell my feet! / Give me something good to eat!’”
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Paul Burgess is the sole proprietor of a business in Lexington, Kentucky that offers ESL classes in addition to English, Japanese, and Spanish-language translation and interpretation services. He has recently contributed work to Blue Unicorn, The Road Not Taken, Light, Apricity, Star*Line, The Orchards, Snakeskin, Pulsebeat, and several other publications. Paul’s blog is here and readers are welcome to contact him via this link.
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