paradelle

The other day while reading Billy Collins, I found this lovely poem titled Paradelle for Susan. It goes like this: I remember the quick, nervous bird of your love. I remember the quick, nervous bird of your love. Always perched on the thinnest, highest branch. Always perched on the thinnest, highest branch. Thinnest love, remember the quick branch. Always nervous, I perched on the highest bird the. It is time for me to cross the mountain. It is time for me to cross the mountain. And find another shore to darken with my pain. And find another shore to darken with my pain. Another pain for me to darken the mountain. And find the time, cross the shore, to with it is to. The weather warm, the handwriting familiar. The weather warm, the handwriting familiar. Your letter flies from my hand into the waters below. Your letter flies from my hand into the waters below. The familiar waters beneath my warm hand. Into handwrtiting your weather flies you the letter from the. I always cross the highest letter, the thinnest bird. Below the waters of my warm, familiar pain, Another hand to remember your handwriting. The weather perched for me on the shore. Quick, your nervous branch flew from love. Darken the mountain, time and find was my into it was with to to. Now, while the poem wasn't my favorite (the ending seemed almost careless.. but, hey! There were birds it in it!) I fell in love with the form. It's called a paradelle, and while Collins claimed it was a French form developed in the 11th century, he later admitted that he had created it himself (Oh, how I love him). In a paradelle, the first and second, and third and forth lines of the six line stanzas are identical. The fifth and sixth lines are made using the words above, and only those words. This continues for three stanzas, until the fourth, where you use every word in the past three stanzas. Of course, I decided I needed to try it. So here's mine.. please note that it is flawed in the sense that I may not have included EVERY SINGLE WORD. However, I was pretty proud of the third and last stanza, in which I did use all words. And I am honestly sorry it's about birds. I'm not sure why I've liked them so much lately.. maybe because it's almost spring. But I think the bird thing is almost out of my system, so bear with me. Paradelle for Billy Collins The bird that sleeps outside my window is the wind and seasons to me The bird that sleeps outside my window is the wind and seasons to me He is morning sun in the day and the salty stars at night He is morning sun in the day and the salty stars at night The sleep in my night is too salty and seasoned. The window in the day is the sun, the stars, that bird. He winds me at morning. His song of velvet runs tight circles around my room His song of velvet runs tight circles around my room My own voice is rough and sandy beside his My own voice is rough and sandy beside his Own my/his tight, velvet voice. My/his song circles beside sandy room and around rough run. And when he flies away quick, I'll be content alone And when he flies away quick, I'll be content alone In his cage that set me free In his cage that set me free When content flies free, I'll be set away in his cage. He that quick, and me alone. My cage is rough whispers of velvet and circle days. Wind set the seasons to sleep alone, and me quick in my night. Content voice beside sandy stars and salty sun at his own room, he flies away free, that bird. The window is his song around me, the run in my tights forgotten. And that's when I'll be his.