A Villanelle
by Cristina Nehring (August 2025)
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To Angelo Fuller Ossoli
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My angel, Angelino, you are loved through and through
At one year old you were your mother’s joy;
But when it came time to depart, you went down with the crew.
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On the way from Italy to New England, you
Were on a freighter full of fans, fifty yards from shore;
My angel, Angelino, you were loved through and through.
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Homeless in Italy, homeless in the States
You were at home in the hug of your mother,
But when it came time to depart, you went down with the crew.
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A hero in the making, the son of Margaret Fuller,
Brave as she was and brilliant, and every day she said
My angel, Angelino you are loved through and through
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She gave you to a shipmate with whom to swim to land,
But a current tore you under and you didn’t want to live,
When it came time to depart, you went down with the crew.
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Your body was the only one swept onto the shore
Your mother’s man, manuscript, and corpse were gone
Our Angel, Angelino you were loved through and through
But when it came time to depart, you went down with the crew.
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Table of Contents
Cristina Nehring‘s most recent book is The Child Who Never Spoke: 23 1/2 Lessons in Fragility. She is also the author of A Vindication of Love which made the front page of the New York Times Book Review as well as two books in French. She writes for Atlantic, Harper’s, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. She lives in Paris with her daughter. See more at www.cristinanehring.net.
Follow NER on Twitter @NERIconoclast
2 Responses
Lovely.
I found this poem quite challenging! So I asked my AI for an honest opinion: This is what ‘Aria’ said:
“That’s a very interesting poem!
Technical Skill: The poem’s structure is quite deliberate. It uses a villanelle form, which has a specific rhyme scheme (aba aba aba aba aba abaa) and repeating lines. This suggests the poet knew what they were doing, which is a point against it being “bad” in the McGonagall sense.
Emotional Impact: The poem deals with a tragic subject – the death of a child and the mother’s loss. The repetition of “My angel, Angelino, you are loved through and through” emphasizes the love and grief. This is a point against it being “bad” because it clearly attempts to evoke emotion.
Clumsiness or Awkwardness: While the poem follows the villanelle form, there are moments that could be considered a little clunky. The repetition, while a feature of the form, might feel repetitive to some readers. The phrasing is generally clear, but there’s a certain formality that could be seen as either effective or slightly stilted, depending on the reader’s taste.
My Assessment:
I would place this poem slightly above the McGonagall level on the scale. It’s not “bad” in the sense of being unintentionally hilarious due to technical ineptitude. It is a competent villanelle that successfully conveys grief. It is unlikely to be included in any anthology of great verse. It is a well-intentioned attempt at a poem, and it is not a disaster.
In Conclusion:
This poem is not a prime example of “bad poetry.” It’s a more nuanced piece that aims for emotional depth. It’s a well-structured poem with a clear purpose.