Day 780 of the Daily Poems, and here is a villanelle by our poet Gordon Hoyles one of whose friends suffers from the agonising condition of ankylosing spondylitis. Unable to look behind her, she finds herself alone with regret, thinking to rearward.
The ankylosing spondylitis song
You can’t look back, just ahead and onward
and truly can’t look over your shoulder.
Just be wise and keep good going forward.
A look to the left or right’s just as awkward:
arguments start and painfully smoulder.
You can’t look back, just ahead and onward.
Bearing our crosses brings lovely reward,
Tooth Fairy Wizard’s platitudes told her.
Just be wise and keep good going forward.
As it turns on itself looking inward
our species won’t live to be much older.
You can’t look back, just ahead and onward.
Loosing a thought emotion wings outward;
choking free speech makes tyranny bolder.
Just be wise and keep good going forward.
Alone with regret, thinking to rearward
makes the tear of nostalgia run colder.
You can’t look back, just ahead and onward.
Just be wise and keep good going forward.
Gordon Hoyles