Ghosts of the Mountains: Snow Leopards
My first attempt at a Villanelle Poem
Cold raffia ribbons embrace her fur
Muscles ripple; behold a leap of faith
Vapors of breath, a soft and silent purr
*
Bursts cross the chasm, and outcrops secure
Paws like snowshoes, deep vision of her grace
Cold raffia ribbons embrace her fur
*
Ghosts of the mountains hear cries of the Earth
Hide from the poachers, human a disgrace
Vapors of breath, a soft and silent purr
*
Camouflage your young ones, become a blur
Find your way back home without a delay
Cold raffia ribbons embrace her fur
*
Powerful hind legs spring, precision stirred
Disguise masters, in snow softly they play
Vapors of breath, a soft and silent purr
*
Appear at dark, as nighttime hunters stir
Find food for the young ones in peace we pray
Cold raffia ribbons embrace her fur
Vapors of breath, a soft and silent purr
About the Creator
Pamela Williams
“Suppose I had wings like the dawning day and flew across the ocean. Even then your powerful arm would guide and protect me.”
— Psalm 139:9–10, Contemporary English Version (CEV)
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Comments (12)
Makes me think of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and their search for the snow leopard! I like the flow of this, and well done on putting out a villanelle- I find them really tricky👏
Absolutely gorgeous, and a perfect poetic form for it, too. Pamela, this is so compelling!
I love snow leopards and hate cruel humans and love this Villanelle. It's not the easiest form to get right first time, but you did a marvellous job, Pamela! Well done!
I love a good villanelle! What a worthy subject for one! Well done, Pamela!
Very interesting! Well done!
It's so sad that they have to hide and camouflage themselves. Loved your Villanelle!
Beautiful creatures the leopard. The repeating lines really made this a hit. Extremely nice imagery. - Well done!
Oh, this is such a vibe! The repeating lines totally hit—feels like a snow leopard mantra!
Very nice imagery ..I love snow leopards!
A beautiful tribute to an awesome creature.
You caught both the majesty of the leopard and the horror of the human. Beautifully done.
The poetic form of the Villanelle is something of magic, and you used it so very well, you put so much life into the description of these snow leopards. I could imagine everything you wrote that made them so unique and mesmerising, well done pamela, this was outstanding!! 👏👌♥️