Na|GloPoWriMo 2026 Day 23

Na|GloPoWriMo 2026 Day 23 Prompt: Try your hand today at your own take on a villanelle, and have the poem end on a question.

nothing new under the sun

there’s nothing new about the news today
another war, another grift, more lies
America the great’s on full display…

just live what’s left to live for, anyway
ignore the fools, believe your lying eyes
there’s nothing new about the news today

the bots will lure you in, just walk away
turn off your phone, and get yourself outside
America the great’s on full display…

take a walk, sink your bare feet in the clay
turn your face toward the sun under blue skies
there’s nothing new about the news today

use this moment, breathe for heaven’s sake
listen to the breeze, hug a tree, get high
America the great’s on full display…

you don’t owe anyone the time of day
so when you’re overwhelmed, just step away
there’s nothing new about the news today
America the great’s on full display?

~kat

Poetry style: The villanelle consists of five tercets and a quatrain with line lengths of 8-10 syllables. The first and third lines of the first stanza become refrains that repeat throughout the poem. It looks like this: 

A(1)
b
A(2) 

a
b
A(1) 

a
b
A(2)

a
b
A(1) 

a
b
A(2) 

a
b
A(1)
A(2)