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Dressing Old Words New — a poem of remixing
A Villanelle inspired by Shakespeare’s Sonnet 76
I borrow words from others without shame:
I take a bit from there, a dab from here,
Yet every word does almost tell my name.
I dress old words anew, and I reclaim
The hymns and songs that used to bring me fear.
I borrow words from others without shame.
For when I set the words inside my frame
Each poem is a mirror bright and clear,
And every word does almost tell my name.
I find new meaning in the same old same
By mixing pieces in a process queer
And borrowing from others without shame.
I pillage ancient coffers; I lay claim
To Dickinson and Blake and to Shakespeare,
Yet every word does almost tell my name.
Composing new from old is quite a game,
And this one is a remixed poem right here.
I borrow words from others without shame,
Yet every word does almost tell my name.