We rowed out on the lake in your boat.
You told me you loved another.
I killed you, but I never gloat.
O’er the water’s edge waved the sea oat,
Reminding me of goodbyes when
We rowed out on the lake in your boat.
You protected me with your coat,
And I wept sorrowfully before
I killed you, but I never gloat.
You with an ascot at your throat,
Taunting me with your life when
We rowed out on the lake in your boat.
Your hair, oh how it floats,
Face down on the lake where
I killed you, but I never gloat.
On my word you can surely quote,
I lost you forever on that day when
We rowed out on the lake in your boat.
I killed you, but I never gloat.
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Editor’s note: See our description of the Villanelle.
