Don't hate the villain, hate the villanelle With these picky rules and odd jigsaw rhymes Curses, these verses are my prison cell At school, I ran from the very first bell The teacher's ruler, those maddening chimes Don't hate the villain, hate the villanelle Joking in class, oh, the words I misspell Mumbles and stammers, but are those real crimes? Curses, these verses are my prison cell If someone could hear, for someone to tell But friends have all fled to faraway climes Don't hate the villain, hate the villanelle I solve this puzzle, but tumble through Hell These words are fractions when I needd primes Curses, these verses are my prison cell My hand disappears as I wave farewell This gentle quicksand turns into hard times Don't hate the villain, hate the villanelle Curses, these verses are my prison cell