Rescue at Sea

A toy boat fights against each wave.
A young boy flies in plane to save.

In the deep deep darkness a barn owl screeches,
And two dark trains pass quietly in the night,
And at a campfire a father lovingly teaches.

The boy listens intensely as he preaches,
Of love, of hope, and of might.
In the deep deep darkness a barn owl screeches.

He’s been here before; he’s heard these speeches
Of scorn, of despair, and of plight,
And at a campfire a father lovingly teaches.

The father turns to his son and with his hand reaches,
And places his hand on his head gently, just right.
In the deep deep darkness a barn owl screeches.

The father knows of the pain; the son’s emotional breaches
He hands him a pen and pad and tells him to write,
And at a campfire a father lovingly teaches.

He writes words of death and pure white beaches,
Of strength and of sadness and of light.
In the deep deep darkness a barn owl screeches,
And at a campfire a father lovingly teaches.

There it goes. My first villanelle!

Thanks for the challenge, Thom!

Jumping Castle

A two year-old child
Giggles as he jumps
Bouncing in a castle
Of red, yellow, blue

He thinks he can fly
His feet are jets
Thrusting him upward
Soaring through the sky

He anticipates nothing
But the next jump
No frets or worries
No hates or tears

The essence of life
Is life in that castle
Finding our way home
To our forgotten kingdom