A Paradelle For Maggie

My hope is to write in a variety of forms throughout the month.  Paradelle caught my eye most likely because Billy Collins is a favorite poet of mine.  According to Writer's Digest, Billy Collins introduced Paradelle as "one of the more demanding French forms of poetry." He eventually confessed that he created it as a joke.

The rules are as follows:

• Four stanzas

• 6 lines per stanza

• Lines 1 and 2 are identical

• Lines 3 and 4 are identical

• Lines 5 and 6 are composed of all and only the words from lines 1 and 3.

• The final stanza is composed of all and only the words lines 5 and 6 of all first three stanzas.

I wrote this today in the hospital waiting room for my daughter as I waited for her to come out of surgery.  

For Maggie

Take my hand and together we shall walk.

Take my hand and together we shall walk.

Forward is the way we will go in hope.

Forward is the way we will go in hope.

My hand is the way we shall go forward.

And together in hope we will walk.

Hold on tightly through the fires.

Hold on tightly through the fires.

Find your bravery alongside fear

Find your bravery alongside fear.

Your bravery find through the fire.

Hold on tightly, fear alongside.

I'll take your hand up mountains steep.

I'll take your hand up mountains steep.

To safety climb for breathless view.

To safety climb for breathless view.

Steep climb to breathless safety view.

Your hand is the one I'll take.

Hold my hand to view your fire.

In hope we shall forward go.

Breathless bravery find through fear.

Tightly I will take your hand.

And steep climb is one alongside safety.

Together is the way we'll walk.

Works Cited

“Poetic Form: Paradelle.” WritersDigest.com, 14 July 2011, www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/poetic-asides/poets/poetic-form-paradelle.