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Writer's pictureMark Bird

A No Screen Day: a villanelle. How to write a villanelle poem.

Updated: Oct 5

I've been trying lots of different poetry forms recently. Today it's the turn of the villanelle and my poem about having a no screen day. I think we should have a national #NoScreenDay to encourage children (and adults) to enjoy life away from those ever-present screens. What do you think?


If you'd like to write your own villanelle poem, I've created a guide below using my poem: A No Screen Day. I would love you to share your villanelle poems in the comments box.



A No Screen Day


Let’s make today a no screen day

Let’s run outside, wide-open-eyed

Imagination needs to play


No worries if the clouds are grey

Let wonder bolts blow them aside

Let’s make today a no screen day


Go let your worries go astray

Go river stride, go rainbow slide

Imagination needs to play


Go fairy hunt, go dragon slay

Go zombie hide, go phoenix ride

Let’s make today a no screen day


Today’s about to run away

Without you in it, stuck inside

Imagination needs to play


So quickly, chase it, beg it stay

Put on your pride and go outside

Let’s make today a no screen day

Imagination needs to play


Mark Bird





How to write a villanelle poem:


A villanelle, also known as villanesque, is a nineteen-line poetic form consisting of five tercets followed by a quatrain. Villanelles also have two refrains.

The tercets have an ABA rhyming scheme.

The quatrain has an ABAA rhyming scheme.


Tercet: A 3 line stanza

Quatrain: A 4 line stanza

Refrain: Lines that repeat throughout the poem





A No Screen Day


Tercet 1

A. Let’s make today a no screen day (Line 1)

B. Let’s run outside, wide-open-eyed (Line 2)

A. Imagination needs to play (Line 3)


Tercet 2

A. No worries if the clouds are grey

B. Let wonder bolts blow them aside (Rhymes with line 2)

A. Let’s make today a no screen day (Repeats line 1)


Tercet 3

A. Go let your worries go astray

B. Go river stride, go rainbow slide (Rhymes with line 2)

A. Imagination needs to play (Repeats line 3)


Tercet 4

A. Go fairy hunt, go dragon slay

B. Go zombie hide, go phoenix ride (Rhymes with line 2)

A. Let’s make today a no screen day (Repeats line 1)

Tercet 5

A. Today’s about to run away

B. Without you in it, stuck inside (Rhymes with line 2)

A. Imagination needs to play (Repeats line 3)


Final stanza: a quatrain

A. So quickly, chase it, beg it stay

B. Put on your pride and go outside (Rhymes with line 2)

A. Let’s make today a no screen day (Repeats line 1)

A. Imagination needs to play (Repeats line 3)


Mark Bird




Text that reads: "How To Write A Villanelle Poem."
How to write a villanelle poem.


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