A Crowdsourced Villanelle

Vision blurs amidst the sounds and life of night
moods lift and bear us somewhere we can't foretell
take what comes, be alert, be ready, forthright

Rein down the moon. Bring sanity to the light
in the darkest hour, our eyes lift up from Hell
vision blurs amidst the sounds and life of night

we walk city blocks and hope to share our plight
with nameless strangers whose gazes repel
take what comes, be alert, be ready, forthright

when strangers press, foreswear the urge to flight
let inner focus, memory cast their spell
Vision blurs amidst the sounds and life of night

While those memories wrap and hold us tight,
we can feel our confidence pulse and swell.
take what comes, be alert, be ready, forthright

The ship keens in the wind, the waves froth white,
and long and loud, rings the deep throated bell
Vision blurs amidst the sounds and life of night
take what comes, be alert, be ready, forthright.

* This villanelle was constructed line by line, by different poets in a UBC Creative Writing workshop - thus the "crowdsourced" in the title.