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I agreed with David Bircumshaw about 'on the side', 'unexpected wink' but only partially. The problem with villanelles is that post-Mahon they all look like exercises in 'wit'. Self-conscious political writing in the Western tradition is notoriously difficult mainly because of the predominant horizons of expectation/reception. If we look at postcolonial theory then Bhabha is crucial in reminding us that for some literature and culture are means of survival. The Palestinian poet Darwish is a good example of this mode/method. Re English poetry, I'm reminded of Dougolly's comment in his poem 'Our family is full of problems' about risking prose, 'a walking measure'. One might also recall Clough in the last century risking a longer and longer line to get his point across. Cheers David %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%